Memories Complete!
by Dixxy Mouri
Summary: Glenn learns the spoils of war at an early age after being abducted by a commander of the Porre military. With help from their new friend, Dario and Karsh try to infiltrate Porre to find him. Please R&R!
1. Prologue

Memories

By Dixxy

Prologue

Out of all the jobs Glenn could have been given, this was the one he didn't want. He wouldn't have minded scrubbing all of the decks on the SS Invincible. He wouldn't have minded trying to figure out how to re-take Viper Manor. Heck, he wouldn't have even minded re-stocking their consumable Element supplies.

The one thing Glenn did NOT want to do was naturally the job that Serge and the others had given him. The job that (of course) no one else wanted due to the very, very dangerous conditions under which he would be living and the terrors that would await him as he performed the task.

Glenn had to baby-sit Poshul, Pip, NeoFio, Turnip, Leah, Draggy, AND Starky on Hermit's Hideaway in the Serge's Home World (which gave Glenn the creeps since he was, well, DEAD in Serge's world). The undoubtedly youngest members of the quest. The most active, energetic, and tiring members of the quest. One of them would've been fine. But ALL of them?

Glenn was beginning to question his life expectancy.

Normally, the rest of the party left them to themselves unless they needed one of them for whatever it was they were doing next. But when Serge, Kid, and Norris had decided to check on Pip to see if he was evolving (which, he wasn't), they found them all fighting amongst each other over something that, ultimately, was lost to the waves. Not pleased with the situation, Serge and General Viper decided to start assigning off-duty members of the party to baby-sit. This time, it was Glenn's turn, and after seeing what had happened to Grobyc when he'd been left in charge, he was beginning to fear for his own well-being. The poor cyborg was still in Luccia's makeshift lab as they tried to repair him (though Glenn was beginning to question if Razzly and ZOAH were the best assistants that Luccia could come up with).

It actually hadn't started out that bad. Poshul was busying herself with a Heckran bone. NeoFio had been sitting quietly as she listened to Turnip talk about some adventure he'd "gone" on. Leah was riding Draggy. Starky had tried three times to steal the Star Fragment off of Glenn (this was rewarded with a Sonic Sword upside the helmet). Pip was walking around with a bucket on his head (he'd tried crawling into it and was now stuck in it).

Eventually, however, Draggy crashed into Turnip and scared NeoFio. Turnip, now enraged at the cave girl and the newborn dragon challenged them to a duel. When Glenn tried to break it up, he felt a tiny hand reach into his pocket and looked over in time to see Starky running off with the Star Fragment. As Glenn chased after Starky, he tripped over Poshul, who growled at Glenn and started to bark, now beginning to chase after him. Starky rammed into Pip, and un-lodged the bucket from his head (this left Pip a little dizzy).

"ENOUGH!" he shouted, getting fed up with all the cute and disruptive creatures running around him. Turnip dropped his weapon and Leah fell off Draggy, though she didn't seem to notice as she just sat on the ground staring at Glenn. NeoFio hid behind Turnip, staring at their current baby-sitter in awe. Poshul whimpered, backing away from the Dragoon. Starky cautiously walked back up to Glenn, dropped the Star Fragment at his feet, and ran to hide in the make-shift grass-house that Leah and Draggy had built. Pip was still too dizzy to realize that they had all landed themselves in HUGE trouble with someone who welded not one, but TWO Einlanzers.

"Leah think-um we in trouble," the cave girl mused.

Glenn closed his eyes. "Why can't the bunch of you just sit down and get along? My father would've strangled my brother and I if he caught us behaving like you all are. So, if you all don't want to see what a Dive and Drive looks like when the user has two legendary swords in his possession, I suggest you all sit down and be quiet."

In a sudden rush of pink, green, yellow, and blue, Glenn found all of his charges were sitting at his feet, looking up at him expectantly. Except for Pip, who was still dizzily making his way over. He eventually collapsed into Poshul, shaking his head. "My head huwts," he said. "And da wowld is spinning. Make it stop!"

Glenn smiled, pleased with himself. They were QUIET. Now, how to keep them quiet?

It was then that he noticed Leah walking up to him, looking up at him. Wondering what she wanted, Glenn bent down to her level. "Leah? Is something wrong?" he asked. Instead of asking for something (which he expected), Leah put her hand on his left cheek and traced over the old, x-shaped scar.

"Glenn hurt. Glenn hurt-um bad. What-um happen?" she asked.

Glenn quieted, placing his own hand on the scar as old memories began to drift back to him. At this point the other creatures took interest in him and were now all crowded around him, all looking at his scar in curiosity. They had all seen it before, but no one had really mentioned it before Leah asked about it. Now that she'd gotten the ball rolling, they all wanted to know what had happened.  
"Wherrre did you get that scarrr?" asked Draggy.

"Did thou receive it in battle?" asked Turnip.

"Dowes it still huwt, Glennikins?" Pip inquired.

Glenn shook his head. "No, it doesn't hurt anymore, Pip. No, I didn't receive it in a battle, either, Turnip. This scar is fifteen years old- I got it when I was just a child," he said. He sighed heavily. "It's a constant reminder to me of something very bad that happened. It was an added incentive for me to join the Dragoons so I could protect the El Nido Archipelago from the invaders from Porre."

"Like Norrrrris?" asked Draggy. "He's frrrom Porrrrre."

"No, not like Norris," said Glenn. "Norris is. . . different, from the other Porre soldiers. Remember? He's on our side. He's our friend. He isn't like his peers." _Unlike the rest of those power-hungry bastards, he still has something called a SOUL and a few little things called MORALS._

"Tell Leah! Tell Draggy! Tell us where-um you got-um scar!" said Leah.

"You really want to know?"

The entire group of little things nodded. It was story time! Glenn was the best baby-sitter they'd EVER had! Well, except maybe Orcha. Orcha cooked for them. And Miki and Nikki- they sang and danced for them. But he was definitely better than Grobyc. They didn't like Grobyc very much- he didn't play with them or ANYTHING.

"Will you be quiet?"

Another nod.

Now VERY pleased with himself, Glenn cleared his throat as the creatures (and Leah) all stared up at him, waiting patiently for their story time to begin. "All right. It started fifteen years ago when Porre first started to invade the kingdom of Guardia and these islands. In desperation, General Viper and King Crono agreed to meet at Viper Manor to discuss the matter before it escalated out of control. . ."


	2. Chapter One

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter One: The Very Special Visitors

Fifteen years earlier. . .

General Viper was nervously ringing his hands as he paced back and fourth in the man hall, waiting for a pair of very, very important guests to arrive. Three of his Devas were waiting with him. Zappa was examining a sword that one of the privates had bent in five separate places while Garai and Radius were discussing a trip to the local bar with the other two Devas. The fourth Deva, who was named-

CRASH!

Zappa looked up, then growled. _Stupid kids. . ._ he thought to himself, _always getting into trouble. I swear, one of these days that boy is going to get it from me in a way he'll wish he were never BORN!_ "KARSH! IF THAT WOS YOU AHL KICK YER KEISTER FROM HERE TO GAIA'S NAVEL!" he yelled.

-was out on an expedition in Guldove to speak with the shrine maidens.

The sound of several people outside announced the expected arrival. Viper leapt to his feet. "They're here! They're here!" he said, now pacing back and forth at a more hastened pace. "Garai! Radius! Zappa! Two of your, open the door! They're HERE! Move it, move it!"

Garai and Zappa exchanged looks, shrugged, and opened the door. Radius walked over to the general and tried to calm the frantic man down. _I knew it. Viper Churro overdose. They should never be mixed with Heckran bone soup with mushrooms from the Shadow Forest- they make for a very antsy General Viper._

"Calm down, General, if they see you in this state they'll look down on all of the El Nido islands- to the majority of the humans and some of the demi-humans, you are their leader and a representation of them. Please, make us look good before our guests," said Radius. "And stay out of those Viper Churros when you've had soup and mushrooms!"

The general took in a deep breath. "Yes, yes, you're right. I will calm down."

Just as the General took in a few needed deep breaths, the very important guests arrived. All three Devas and the General bowed respectfully, the crowned King and Queen of Guardia returning the gesture. Viper walked boldly up to King Crono and shook the young monarch's hand. _Amazing that someone so young is in charge of an entire kingdom. It's mind blowing._

"On behalf of Termina and all of the residents of the El Nido Archipelago, I welcome you to Viper Manor, Your Highnesses," he said. "I am honored to have you in my home and I hope that we are able to accomplish all of our goals. When we are not discussing the issues at hand, feel free to make yourselves at home. Myself, the Devas, and any of our other fine young Dragoons are at your service."

King Crono nodded. "Thank you, General Viper," he said. "Shall we-"

"DAD!"  
"GARAI!"  
All eyes turned to the large double doors as two preteen boys skidded into the main hall, crash landing into poor Radius, causing all three to smash into the opposite wall. As Radius began to mumble incoherently about "all the pretty Dodos", the two boys scrambled to their feet and immediately surrounded Garai, both spitting out a thousand words a minute in a panic-stricken frenzy.

General Viper looked about ready to have a heart attack.

Garai looked ready to strangle both boys.

"Dario! Karsh! I thought I told you two to stay-"

"But Dad! You don't understand!" the blonde boy started.

Garai held up his hand. "I don't want to hear it. I told you two, Glenn, and Riddel that you were to NOT bother me, any of the other Devas, or the General tonight under ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Did I or did I not make myself clear on that matter?" he said, turning off his "Acacia Dragoon Deva" mode and going into "Parent of Twelve Year Old and Five Year Old Boys With Twelve Year Old Scottish Friend" mode.

Karsh shook his head. "But Garai, ye-"

Zappa raised an eyebrow at his son. "Karsh, ye don't want me to send ya home to yer mother- ye know what she'll do to ya if I have to send ye home because of yer antics with Dario! Listen to Garai. We have two VERY IMPORTANT guests here right now- in fact, they're right here! Now GIT!"

"But-"

"No buts!" said the General. "Now, I'd suggest you run along and play FAR AWAY FROM THE PARLOR AND OUR ROYAL GUESTS unless you ENJOY spending a night in the dungeon with all the rats and ghosts and monsters that like to eat naughty little boys. Why are you boys refusing to listen to your superiors? Garai is right- we DID tell you that you have to leave us alone tonight."

"But it's-"

"What part of 'no buts' did you boys not understand?" Radius said (he was no longer seeing "all the pretty Dodos"). "There is a possibility of a WAR. If we can work with the kingdom of Guardia we might be able to prevent thousands of casualties, both civilian and military alike!"

As if on cue, a young private ran in from one of the side corridors. "General, I regret to inform you that we have a slight problem on the Bluffs," he said. He cleared his throat and straightened himself as he saw King Crono and his Queen Marle. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Your Highnesses."

"That's all right," said the Queen. "If it's a serious problem, then tell the General so he can resolve it in a timely and fashionable manner." She smiled at General Viper, nodding to him. "It's all right. We've had important meetings disrupted before." Queen Marle then turned to the private. "Now tell us what happened."

"There's a five year old out on the Bluffs," said the private. "We don't know how he got there or why he got there, but he's there. Little kid with big blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. Got a white ribbon in his hair tied like some sort of a bandanna or something. Do any of you know who the boy is?"

The private needed not to speak another word, as Garai had already made a beeline out the front door towards the in-famously deadly Viper Manor Bluffs. Once the realization of why Garai had reacted the way he had, the General and the other two Devas were quick to follow, leaving Dario and Karsh with the monarchs. The King and Queen exchanged confused looks, as did their escort, and looked to the two boys for an explanation.

Dario gulped. "You see, there's really a logical explanation for all this. . ."

* * *

"There it is!" Glenn cried out excitedly, finally seeing the treasured pendant within his grasp. Looking down to the rocks bellow, Glenn got down on his hands and knees and started to crawl towards the shiny gold pendant. He had been out on the alcove that sat atop the deadly cliffs, looking at his mother's most precious piece of jewelry when he'd dropped it over the side. Then, realizing his father and his older brother would be mad if they knew he'd lost it, he decided that he'd better go and get it.

"Got it!" he cried victoriously as he grasped his hand around the treasure. He stuck it in his pocket, then patted it to make sure it was safe. Now he wouldn't get in trouble with his father and Dario! He smiled pleased with himself for saving his mother's precious pendant.

"GLENN!"

Glenn looked up to see his father was at the top of the Bluffs looking down at him. _Yeah! Viper's guests must have gone to bed early and now Daddy's coming to play with me and Dario instead of going to that boring meeting!_ "Hi Daddy!" Glenn said, waving cheerfully.

"Hold on! I'm coming down to get you! Just stay where you are!" his father yelled. Then, the Deva began to descend the Bluffs to reach his youngest son before he either fell to a watery grave bellow, was attacked by one of the monsters on the Bluffs, or even worse.

Glenn blinked. What was wrong with his father? He was fine. He'd gotten the pendant, hadn't he?

Garai kept his eyes on his wide eyed son as he sat on one of the (thankfully) wider ledges, looking at him in curiosity. "Don't worry, Glenn, Daddy's coming!" said Garai. "I won't let anything happen to you! Just, just stay calm and you'll be just fine! I promise!"

In the distance Garai heard a sound, a sound so soft that it would've gone unnoticed had it not been for the many years Garai had spent training as a Dragoon and now, a Deva. He stopped momentarily, closing his eyes to try and determine what the sound was. He knew that sound, but what was it? A squawking sound, almost like a bird of prey. A very LARGE bird of prey.

"A MoaMan," he said. His eyes widened in fear, and he began to descend at an accelerated rate. MoaMen, giant bird men who lived in the mountains that surrounded the El Nido Archipelago, were known to hunt around the Bluffs, looking for a meal. Normally they made a meal out of the Gobledygooks or the Loch Nests, but he had a feeling that they wouldn't mind sinking their beaks into the tender flesh of a small child.

Garai leapt down the ledge where his son sat. He could see the outline of a MoaMan coming up behind his son now. _Oh no! Glenn!_ he thought to himself. He started to run for his son who sat staring at his father, oblivious to why his father looked so worried. "GLENN!"

"SQUWAK!"

Glenn looked behind him to see the great bird swooping down from behind him. The giant bird man was coming towards him! And he didn't look like he wanted to play with him. In fact, he looked like he was going eat him! Glenn screamed and closed his eyes, waiting for the worst.

"TRIPLE CUT!"

Garai's attack struck the MoaMan- a Black one, which was much to Garai's advantage (Garai's innate element was white, as was the attack)- screamed from the mortal wound it had received. Flailing its wings in a panic-stricken fight for life, it began to loose air until it plummeted to the rocks below. Garai watched as its mangled body was swept away with the waves, now far away from his son.

Glenn looked up with teary eyes at his father. "Daddy! That bird man was gonna eat me!"

Garai picked up his son, who hooked his arms around his father's neck. Smiling, he started to climb the Bluffs again, happy that his son was safe and sound. He kissed his son's cheek. "Don't ever do that again, Glenn, do you hear me? Don't you EVER do that again! You had me worried sick!"

"But I dropped Mommy's pendant and I had to go and get it!" Glenn protested.

_Ah, THAT explains it,_ Garai thought to himself. "Glenn, if your mother had to choose between you and that gold trinket, she'd choose you in a heartbeat. A piece of jewelry is just that- a piece of jewelry, no more, no less. If it was lost, oh well, that's life. But if we lost you. . . you were more important to your mother than that thing was. You understand?"

"I understand," he said as Garai pulled himself and his son back into the alcove. Radius, Zappa, and the General were all waiting. All three men sighed with relief. "Hi Radius! Hi Zappy! Hi General!" Glenn waved, a wide smiled on his face as he did so. All three men looked so happy to see him.

"Ye had us all worried about ya, little one," said Zappa (who, for once, had not corrected Glenn that his name was "Zappa" and not "Zappy", much like how his wife was "Zippa" and not "Zippy"). "We thought ye'd fallen into the water and onto the rocks. That wouldn't be a good thing."

"General! What is going on?" The group gathered on the alcove looked up to see the Manor's royal guests, two of their own guards, and the two boys who had interrupted the General in the main hall were on their way to the alcove to see what all the raucous was about. Apon seeing Glenn standing next to his father, Dario and Karsh ran over to smoother him.

"If you do that ever again I swear I'll kill you myself!"

"Don't go onto the Bluffs again, ye hear me?"

"We just lost Mom, we don't need to loose you, too!"

"It wouldn't be the same without ye following us around!"

Glenn blinked. Dario and Karsh were worried about him? Usually they told him to "get lost".

King Crono raised an eyebrow. "Viper?"

Viper cleared his throat. "I apologize, Your Highness-"

"YOUR HIGHNESS?" Karsh and Dario exclaimed in unison.

Dario fumed. "You didn't tell us we'd have ROYALTY at the manor!"

The Queen smiled, placing her hands on her hips as she leaned forward. "Viper, who are these children?"

Viper inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, this young man here is Karsh, Zappa's son," he said, placing a hand on Karsh's shoulder. "He and the other two boys here want to be Dragoons, perhaps even Devas, just like their old men Garai and Zappa, isn't that right, boys?"  
"These are my boys, Dario, whom you've already met, and Glenn, who decided to go out on the Bluffs over a piece of jewelry," said Garai. Dario shot his younger brother a look while Glenn just held up his mother's pendant. The elder brother dropped his jaw as he snatched the pendant away, sending his brother a death glare as he mouthed some inaudible threat/reprimand/PROMISE.

"And I presume that Dario and Karsh went to get you after they realized this little on had wandered out onto the Bluff, correct?" said King Crono. Dario and Karsh nodded enthusiastically, grateful that SOMEONE had figured they had a good reason to go find Garai- Glenn could've gotten killed if they hadn't!

Garai, Viper, Zappa, and Radius looked at the two older boys apologetically. "I suppose we owe you two an apology. You were trying to tell us Glenn was in trouble and we all tried to punish you for doing the RIGHT thing," said Viper. He smiled. "You know, something I look for in my Dragoons is the common sense to known when you need help and call in the reinforcements."

That little comment from Viper was enough to keep both Dario and Karsh happy for the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter Two

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Two: The Problem At Hand

Once all three boys were back in their rooms, it was time for the adults to have a long discussion. General Viper led the Devas, the monarchs, and several other high ranking officers of both the Dragoons and Guardia's army through the double doors, onto the secret platform, up to the second story, and finally into the parlor, where the meeting would take place.

Apon entering the parlor, the group found a large bowl of chocolate chip cookies with a note at the side of the bowl that had been scribbled in purple crayon. Viper walked over to the note, picked it up, and rolled his eyes. "They're all right. My daughter thought we might get hungry during our meeting and left us a snack."

The monarchs chuckled.

"Well, if Riddel used real chocolate chips this time they should be just fine," said Radius.

"What did she use last time?" Marle asked.

"Actually, I don't know, but I think they were brown rocks she thought were chocolate chunks," said Radius. He took a bite, chewed a little, and swallow. "Don't worry, they're all right this time." He smiled, taking another cookie. "And they're quite good!" He chewed happily. "Where did she learn to bake, Viper?"

Viper shrugged. The only thing he knew about food was how to eat it. How was he supposed to know where his daughter learned to bake? "Maybe Orcha taught her," he mused as he tried the cookies himself. He took time to taste the baked treat and nodded. "They are good. But let's get down to business."

Once everyone was seated, the meeting began. Radius stood and began to relay what he knew to the monarchs of Guardia. "To our knowledge, Porre has been showing interest in setting up military bases on the islands in this archipelago. Which islands we do not know, but there is a high possibility they will want this island as it is the largest of the islands and our largest city is located here."

"What other resources are here?"

"A Hydra Marsh," said Zappa. "Hydras. . . they're valuable."

"This is true," said Radius. "Hydra Humour is a very strong antidote for almost every poison known to man, dwarf, mystic, demi-human, and fairy alike. They've been dropping in numbers as of late, and they may very well join the ancient Dragonians in the eternal slumber of death."

King Crono nodded. "Yes. Why would they want bases here?"

"Well. . . we really aren't sure," said Viper. "The only thing we've been able to figure out is that they might wish to utilize our Element system." He cleared his throat. "Elements are magic spells that can be used by anyone. They are divided into six different colors- black, white, red, blue, yellow, and green. These colors are called innate colors. The innate color determines the property of the spell. For example, red elements have a fire property. Most elements are used for attacking purposes, but other elements heal, enhance you and your allies, or lower the power of your opponent. There are also rumors of elements that can summon great beasts, but they've never been proven."

"Fascinating," said Marle.

"Furthermore, people have innate colors. Garai, for example, is white innate. He can used black, red, blue, yellow, and green elements, but when he uses white elements, they are more effective. They are especially effective against someone whose innate color is black. However, vice versa, Garai is vulnerable to black elements just as his white elements make him strong against black elements. Then you have consumable elements-"

King Crono held up his hand. "As fascinating as this is, what is the point?"

"It's a grave one. Some elements can cause massive amounts of destruction, such as Deluge or Inferno. They even SOUND deadly," said Garai. "Imagine what something like Earthquake or Tornado would do to the unsuspecting, unarmed people of the Zenan continent and of this group of islands." He stayed silent, letting this sink in. "The destruction can be even worse if they discover a whole village or even an island with a majority of say, red innate people. If they unleashed blue elements, then the people would be all killed."

"So if they capture the El Nido Archipelago and gain control over your Elements, then they have a very deadly weapon on their side," said Crono. "That is a bit unsettling. All right. Whatever happens we can never let them gain control over the Elements. Furthermore, I would not object to you using these Elements against the Porre army if need be."

"I've done some research and many of them are white innate," said Radius. "If we were to use powerful black elements like Black Hole or Free Fall against them, we could lower their numbers quite quickly. But do we truly want to sink to their levels of mass destruction?"

"He has a point," said the Queen.

"All right, only if there is no other choice," said King Chrono. "Is there anything else?"

"No," said Radius. "Your turn."

The King nodded and rose. "We have bad news. The elders of Choras and Medina would have joined us, but sadly, Porre had already invaded and captured both nations." The Acacia Dragoons bowed their heads in respect for the fallen nations. "We know they want Guardia next. We burned the Zenan Bridge to slow them down, but they have large war ships- it wouldn't take much for them to sail to the coastline and get to us by sea."

General Viper nodded. "Yes. Continue."

"They seem to be looking for something called the Frozen Flame, if that's of any significance to you," said Queen Marle. "We have no idea what this Frozen Flame is or why they care so much about finding it, but it may be a clue as to why they're trying to take over everything."

"If they're that desperate for it, perhaps it's some sort of a powerful talisman," said Garai. "Perhaps it's a legendary weapon like the Masamune or the Einlanzer?" He patted the Einlanzer, which was at rest by his side. "Both of those swords weld a nearly unimaginable amount of power."

"We don't know what it is. For all we know it's one of your Elements! We know NOTHING about the Frozen Flame or what it does!" said Queen Marle. She growled in frustration. "All we know is that Porre wants it. What else is there that we can tell you? That it makes pancakes?"

"Marle!" said King Chrono, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders. "Calm down. We know that the Frozen Flame puzzle is bothering you, but for now we can't do anything about it." The Queen nodded and relaxed back into her chair, though she remained looking a bit tense.

"All right, so we know they want the Frozen Flame and we think they want Elements and military bases. What else?" asked General Viper. "What kinds of resources do you have that you think Porre might use to try and capture other parts of the world? Minerals, valuables, money, anything!"

"Lucca, maybe," said King Crono.

Radius' eyes widened. "Not Lucca Ashtear? The famous inventor?"

King Crono nodded. "She's an old friend of ours- I've known her since I was in diapers. She and I grew up together. Lucca's a brilliant inventor. Between her and her father, Taban, they've invented some deadly weapons and highly protective armor, especially armors that increase defense against fire magic. If they were to gain their knowledge, they could easily force them to build defenses against all of the innate colors AND powerful weapons."

"I don't like that," said Radius. He shook his head. "Where are they now?"

"Lucca and her parents are currently operating an orphanage out of their home," said Queen Marle. "They have five or six children right now, some of them orphans of Choras that they were able to find." She sighed heavily. "If they go after Lucca, they could hurt those children."

"I doubt Porre would attack an establishment with children. Their morals can't be THAT bad," said Garai. "Many of them must be parents, correct? I'm a parent myself- I have two children. I climbed down the Bluffs because one of my boys was down there. I would never even THINK to hurt an innocent child because of my own children. I would hope they'd think the same."

"Many of them may be young men who don't have families and don't have that view yet," said King Crono. "Still, you do have a point. Lucca and her parents might be very well protected because of that orphanage. Still, to be safe, I'll tell her to set up some sort of a security system, just to be safe. She's our friend, too."

"If you need it, I can send some of my Dragoons to watch her," said Viper.

The King shook his head. "Not necessary. At most a few of my men will suffice."

"Is there anything else you can think of?"

"Now that I think about it, the Masamune could be a target," said the Queen.

Garai snorted. "Yeah, right! I have the Einlanzer! It'll cancel out the Masamune's power if they try to use it, and if I'm not around to use it, then one of my boys, most likely Dario, will do it! The Masamune would certainly help them, but even if they did get their greedy hands on it, we have the best defense there is against it."

"Thank you, Garai," said Viper. He turned to Zappa. "You've been quiet. Is there anything on your mind?"

Zappa looked up, blinking. "Eh?" he shrugged. "Radius en Garai r'makin' good enough comments. I dun have anything to add. I'm taken' in the infermation, I know what I ken use and what I ken not use, what else is thar for me to do? If I think of something, I'll let ye know."

"Thank you," said Viper. He turned to the monarchs once again. "Did you gain any information from the attacks on Choras or Medina that you think would be beneficial to this meeting or any future meetings we have? A note, a war cry of some sort, mentions of a secret weapon?"

The monarchs shook their heads. "No," said Queen Marle. "That is all of our information as well." She closed her eyes. "Perhaps we should all get some sleep and return here in the morning. Perhaps we'll think of something overnight that we can either plan or bring up."

"Excellent idea. It is getting a bit late," said Viper. "Meeting adjourned."

* * *

After Garai had escorted the King and Queen (and their escorts) to their rooms, he started to head off towards his own room. As he was just about to place his hand on the doorknob when he had an afterthought. _I just lost my wife. I almost lost Glenn tonight. Maybe I should check on the boys,_ Garai thought to himself.

He sidetracked towards the staircase and descended to the lower level. He walked along the wall, nodding his head to any of the Dragoons he passed in the hallway. Orcha was walking out of the kitchen and gave Garai a greeting "CHA!" before heading off towards the door. It was the beginning of the cook's week-off- he hadn't seen his wife or his year-old son in a number of weeks and he was well overdo for a visit.

Garai finally found the room he was looking for. Quietly opening the door, he found the room was dark and that both of his boys (and Karsh) were asleep. He quietly closed the door behind him and allowed his eyes to adjust to the dark. Once his eyes were adjusted, he crept over to Dario's bed and sat down beside his sleeping son.

Dario was a boy that Garai had to admit he was very proud of. Despite his young age, he was a very skilled swordsman, maybe even as skilled as he was. Many of the young village girls thought he was attractive and many of the women in Termina had told Garai many, many times that Dario would break many hearts when he married. Garai smiled at the thought and gently rubbed the top of his elder son's head.

Finished with checking on Dario, he moved onto Glenn. Glenn. . . it was too early to say too much about him, though many of the women agreed he, too, would break many hearts when he got older. Glenn had been given soft, flawless skin that reminded Garai of his now deceased wife. Glenn had shown interest in using swords before, but he was a bit too small to use even the smallest practice swords. _Maybe next year,_ Garai thought.

As Garai stood to leave, he heard movement in the room. He looked over to where Karsh was sleeping and saw the violet haired boy was waking up. The boy turned to Garai, blinking. "Wha?" he asked. Garai silently raised a finger to his mouth, but it was too late. Dario and now Glenn were both waking up as well.

"Daddy?" asked Glenn.

"What's going on, Dad?" asked Dario, who sat up in bed. "Are we at war?"  
Garai sighed. _Might as well tell them now,_ he thought. "Well, no, we aren't at war," he said. "We COULD go to war with Porre, but what we want to do is try and stop the war from happening. Porre wishes to control every life form in the world and we don't want that. They've taken Medina and Choras already. The Guardia Monarchs and General Viper fear that the next two areas for take-over are Guardia and the El Nido Islands. We're going to have another meeting tomorrow, but for now. . . we just don't know."

"So the whole meeting was fer nothing?" Karsh asked.

"No, not at all. The meeting did allow us to compare notes and come up with ideas on what they want to do based on what we know about Porre and what we know about ourselves that Porre might be interested in. For instance, they could be after our Elements," said Garai.

Dario and Karsh exchanged looks. "So?" they asked in unison.

Garai cleared his throat. "Think what a strong Volcano would do to a town."

All three boys paled.

"We're all gonna die!" Glenn exclaimed.

"No we aren't! Dad just said that they're trying to stop the war! No one's gonna die!" said Dario.

"Oh, that's good," sad Glenn. "We don't want people to die. That would be bad."

"Right, now get some sleep," said Garai. "Good night, boys."

"Good night, Dad."

"Sweet dreams, Daddy!"

"See ye in the mornin', Garai."


	4. Chapter Three

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Three: An Unexpected Trip

"Did ah ever mention ah hate boats?" asked Karsh as he leaned over the side.

"Three times, Karsh," Riddel said dryly. She smiled. "But look on the bright side. We're going someplace outside of Termina and the main island. Think of it as an adventure! It's almost like a vacation!" She looked over at Dario, batting her eyelashes. "Don't you agree, Dario?"

Dario just shrugged (he was still too young to know a come on when he got one).

Glenn found the other children on the deck, Viper Churro in hand. "Hi!" he said brightly. Dario and Riddel waved. Karsh leaned over the side, still. . . you figure it out. Curious, Glenn walked over. "Karsh? Are you okay? You don't sound too good." Looking at the half-eaten Viper Churro, he shoved it towards Karsh. "Do you want the rest of my Viper Churro?"

At the mention of food, Karsh's face turned a slightly darker shade of green.

"I. . . don't think Karsh wants food right now, Glenn," said Dario. "Why don't you come over here with me and Riddel?" Dario patted the empty seat beside him. "You can finish your Viper Churro- and that had better be your ONLY Viper Churro, by the way- and then we can go play something."

Glenn just nodded. Riddel might've been a girl, but she was okay. She didn't have cooties like the other girls he knew. She gave him cookies and Dario and Karsh seemed okay after playing with her, so she must've been safe. He pulled himself up onto the bench, his feet dangling above the deck of the ship.

It was several days after the monarchs had arrived. After more meetings, the adults decided that Porre would probably try to strike Guardia first, and at that, they'd strike sooner. Viper, Garai, Zappa, and a handful of Dragoons decided to return to Guardia with the royal couple to try and help fend off an attack. Viper allowed the Devas he was bringing with him to bring their respective families as he was bringing Riddel.

Besides, the last time Viper and his Devas left the kids with a sitter. . . it wasn't pretty.

As Karsh continued to watch as his lunch became one with the sea, the other three started a more. . . not gross. . . conversation. "Guardia Castle is supposed to be even bigger than Viper Manor!" said Riddel. "We could play the BEST game of hide and go seek there! Don't you agree, Dario?"

Dario just nodded (still not seeing the obvious).

"I do! I do!" said Glenn, thinking that his opinion was just as good as Dario's. He was bouncing up and down in his seat, a sign that he'd had a candy bar of some sort in addition to the Viper Churro. "There must be a MILLION rooms there we can play in! And they probably have lots of food there, too!"

"Is that all you ever think about, Glenn? Food?" asked Dario, eyeing his little brother. He wrapped his arm around his younger brother's neck, putting the five year old in a headlock. Glenn squirmed and verbally announced his protest as Dario just laughed. "Silly, silly Glenn. One of these days we're going to have to set you straight." He then proceeded to give his younger brother a noogie. Riddel started to laugh hysterically as Glenn desperately tried to get away.

"No noogies! No noogies!" Glenn cried. "NOOOO!"

"Let 'em go, Dario. He's just a wee 'ittle one, after all," said Karsh, looking up long enough to make the comment before he turned his attention back to sea. "If ye aren't careful, ye may end up rubbing all of is brains out!" He moaned. "Oh. . . I knew I shouldn't have ad that Dodo and Squid Gut Noodle Soup before I left. . ."

Dario let Glenn go. He knew Karsh was joking, but did Glenn know that? To begin with Glenn wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. Heck, he'd gone out onto the Viper Manor Bluffs by himself! Dario knew that even his own father wouldn't go down the Bluffs without a good reason. _Relax, Dario. He's five. Doesn't your father enjoy talking about that incident with you drinking your mother's perfume whenever he has guests? Of course he does. Why? Because he's a parent. That's what parents do best- they embarrass their children. Ah, don't worry. You turned out okay, Glenn will turn out just fine, too._

Glenn looked up at Dario fearfully. "Rub my brains out?"

"Ignore him. He's sick in the head AND in the stomach," said Riddel.

"Okay," said Glenn. Still, he gave Dario a raspberry and went to sit next to Riddel, placing her between himself and his older brother. "Riddel will protect me!" Glenn clutched Riddel's arm, sticking his tongue out at Dario as he did. Dario cracked a grin and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" he said. Dario bolted out of his seat and made a "scary" face. Glenn yelped and ran from Riddel, causing his brother to give chase. Riddel laughed. Dario and Glenn were so funny! Though, she had to admit, Karsh could be funnier (especially when he mimicked someone like her father or one of the Devas as they were speaking- that was a riot!). But he wasn't as cute as Dario was.

NO ONE was as cute as Dario was!

. . . well, maybe that one boy with the freckles and the shiny teeth was a bit cuter.

But Dario was HERS. Well. . . someday he'd be hers. It just needed time.

* * *

Night fell apon the ship. It was still several hours away from reaching Truce Harbor and aside from the crew, most of the occupants were asleep. The two Devas had turned in early, seeing that they'd likely find themselves with a very long and tiring day once the morning came to awaken them. General Viper had fallen asleep over a stack of paperwork he'd been trying to sort through. Karsh and Dario were sleeping sitting up, their backs against each other as they snored in alteration (Karsh breathed in, Dario breathed out, Karsh breathed out, Dario breathed in, ect.). Riddel was curled up in her bed, a pleasant dream of a certain blushing bride and a handsome blonde groom on their wedding day.

She didn't understand why her father was in the Dodo costume or why Karsh was one of her bridesmaids instead of Dario's best man, but oh well, dreams are like that. Just last week her wedding dream included Radius and Zappa tap-dancing on a giant wedding cake while a bunch of dancing trout danced around the happy couple.

Glenn was still awake. He was sitting out on the deck in his nightclothes, looking over the side of the boat. The water below was a very dark blue, almost black. Glenn wondered how deep the water was- he couldn't see the bottom. He knew that the ocean was very deep, and sometimes he thought about it. It was fascinating.

The little boy looked out ahead. He could just barely see a something. A very long, thin, something. Whatever it was, it was sitting on top of the horizon. His eyes widened in curiosity. Could that be the Zenan Mainland? Glenn's face lit up. Yes! Yes it WAS the mainland! But. . . if it was that long and that thin and they were that far away, than how big WAS the Zenan Mainland? _It could be bigger than the entire El Nido Archipelago!_

Glenn heard footsteps behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see one of the sailors walking along the deck. The sailor was roughly six feet tall and had dirty blonde hair just a few shades darker than Glenn's hair. The young boy waved at the sailor, who, in return, flashed Glenn a smile and walked over to him. "Well, well, well, what's a kid your age doing out here on a night like this?" he asked.

"That's the Zenan Mainland!" Glenn said, pointing at the horizon.

"Yes, so it is," said the sailor. He looked down at Glenn. "Haven't you ever seen it?"

"No," said Glenn, shaking his head.

"Ah, so you're one of the boys with the Acacia Dragoons, right?" said the sailor.

Glenn nodded. "My name's Glenn. My daddy's a Deva."

"Well, well, well!" said the sailor, looking impressed. "You must have a great dad then! A real Acacia Deva. . . absolutely amazing. I bet that you're going to be a Dragoon someday, too, right Glenn? Following in your father's footsteps, saving the El Nido Archipelago from the dangers that lurk around every corner!"

"Yeah!" said Glenn. Then, he frowned. "But that's Dario's job."

"Who's Dario?" asked the man.

"My older brother," said Glenn. He nodded at the man, happy to have this grown-ups attention. "He can already use a sword. He's got all sorts of trophies and medals and ribbons for his skills with a sword already!" He smiled. "I'm gonna learn how to use a sword, too. I want to impress Daddy, too!"

"I'm sure you'll do that," said the sailor. He held out a hand, which Glenn looked at questioningly. He looked up at the man, his eyes filled with confusion and curiosity. "My name is Curtis, Glenn. I'm a sailor on this ship, as you might've already guessed." Seeing what the man was getting at, Glenn held out his own hand to shake the other hand.

"Nice to meet you, Curtis," said Glenn. "Why are you out so late?"

"Off-duty," said Curtis. He reached into his pocket, then pointed at one of the moons. "See how it's lit up like that?" Glenn nodded. "It's like a giant mirror. The sun's rays bounce off the moon to give us all a little bit of light. And with that light, I can do something neat, Glenn."

"What?" asked Glenn. Curtis showed Glenn a compact, which opened up to reveal a mirror. He placed it on the railing. A beam of light appeared on the water. "Wow!" Curtis grinned and started to make the beam go off and on, getting several giggles out of Glenn as he watched the light spectacle before him.

"Neat, huh?" said Curtis, making a few last flashes before closing the compact. He placed his hands on his knees and bent down to Glenn's level. "So, what do you plan to do once you get to the Zenan Mainland? There's so much to see and so much to do. There are all sorts of fantastic things there to see- what do you want to see first?"

Glenn shrugged. "My Daddy said that Dario and I are supposed to stay in the castle," he said. Then, his expression lightened to a very excited one. "But the castle is supposed to be even bigger than Viper Manor! We were talking about it earlier with Riddel- we think we can have a really COOL game of hide and seek in a place THAT big!"

Curtis frowned. "Aw, you don't want to spend your whole time in the castle, do you?" he asked. "Being cooped up inside a musty old castle when you could be outside in the cool, fresh air?" Glenn's expression darkened. "Thought so. Kids your age need to be outside playing, not cooped up inside smelly old castles."

"Still, my Daddy said I had to stay in the castle," said Glenn.

Curtis grinned. "Tell you what. While we're docked in Truce, I'll talk to your dad and tell him that your good old friend Curtis will take you around to see Truce and the area surrounding Guardia Castle. Give you a little tour of the place so you can see what it's like. How does that sound?"  
"That sounds great!" said Glenn. "You'd really do that?"

"Hey, didn't I say kids need to get out more often?" said Curtis. "Just you and me."

"What about Dario, Karsh, and Riddel?" asked Glenn. "Aren't they coming, too?"

"Now why would you want them around?" asked Curtis.

"They're my friends," said Glenn.

"Well. . . if I take you out beforehand and you already know about everything, wouldn't you impress them with your already vast knowledge of Truce and the Zenan Mainland?" said Curtis. He put his hand on Glenn's shoulder and waved his arm high above their heads, towards the sky. "They'd be pretty impressed if someone your age was smarter than they were."

Glenn thought about this. Maybe Dario and Karsh would play with him more often if he showed them how smart he could be. Maybe Curtis had a good idea there. Besides, he would get to see everything before the other kids did- didn't that say something special right there? Glenn nodded. "Okay."

Curtis smiled, patting Glenn on the back, a wide grin on his face. "Marvelous. You run off to bed and get a good night's sleep. I'll come pick you up first thing in the morning after your Dad wakes up and I can talk to him- which Deva is your father, by the way, Glenn?" asked Curtis.

"Garai- he has the Einlanzer," said Glenn.

Curtis nodded. "All right. What's he look like?"  
"He has long white hair and silvery armor."

"All right, sounds like a hard guy to miss. So I'll go find Garai in the morning, discuss the proposition with him, and then we'll have a BLAST tomorrow!" said Curtis. "Trust me, Glenn- it'll be absolutely wonderful. Truce is a great city to visit. Certainly bigger than the cities of the El Nido Archipelago."

"Even bigger than Termina?" asked Glenn.

"Yeah! Bigger than Termina!" said Curtis. He held out his hand again for Glenn to shake. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow morning. Fun, fun, and more fun in the Zenan Mainland sun! Just you and me, little buddy. Just you and me while Dario, Karsh, and Riddel are stuck in that smelly old castle!"

"Yeah!" said Glenn, shaking Curtis' hand. "That smelly old castle!"

Curtis let out a laugh. "That's the spirit, Glenn!" He cleared his throat and looked out at the night sky. "My, my, my, it's getting late. If we don't get to bed soon we'll get up late. The earlier the get up the better day we'll have!" Glenn nodded, then ran off to where his cabin was. Curtis grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. "One question. Where's your cabin?"

"Oh," said Glenn. He gave Curtis quick directions, then waved him good-bye and ran off. Tomorrow was going to be GREAT! Instead of being stuck in the castle with Dario and Karsh and Riddel, he was going to hang out with Curtis in Truce! That was a lot better than being inside all day! The Zenan Mainland was going to be great!

Curtis grinned, chuckling to himself. "Such a nice boy," he said.


	5. Chapter Four

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Four: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

"Hey, Glenn, wake-up!"

Glenn groaned. "Too early. . . need sleep. . ."

"C'mon, Glenn, it's time to get up! Your dad said it was okay!"

Glenn blinked. He looked over his shoulder to see the man from the previous night was looking at him, a big smile on his face. Glenn gave him a weak smile as he yawned, stretching his small body. "Oh, hi Curtis," he said. "How are you this morning? Did you sleep well?"

"Just great," said Curtis. He sprung himself into a standing position and looked at the young boy eagerly. "Now come on, come on, come one! Hurry! Go and get dressed so we can get an early start on our absolutely wonderful day of fun and games! The later you sleep the less we get to do!"

The small boy nodded and crawled out of bed. Curtis left to room to allow him some privacy as he started to dig through his trunk, looking for something to wear. After finding something that he thought would be suitable (just a dark green shirt and brown pants), he closed up his trunk, pulled his boots on, and walked out of his cabin.

The two walked down the deck, Curtis asking Glenn if he'd slept well and if he was ready for the day to come. Glenn continued to nod enthusiastically, excited about what he'd be doing with Curtis. But, what would they be doing? Curtis hadn't told him exactly what they'd be doing or where they'd go once they were on the mainland. Maybe it was supposed to be a surprise?

Eventually, they reached the gangway, which was already set up. Glenn looked around and saw that the sky was still a very orange color, the two moons still high in the sky. It wasn't too long after dawn. Glenn raised an eyebrow. Was everyone really up that early? If his father could help it, he slept in as late as possible. Maybe he had some sort of important Deva business to do.

Curtis extended an arm, gesturing for Glenn to go first. The young boy smiled brightly at Curtis as he walked down the plank and onto the Zenan Mainland. He stopped abruptly at the bottom, getting used to feeling. "So this is the Zenan Mainland," said Glenn, looking around in awe. "It's amazing!"

"Isn't it?" said Curtis. "Now, let's get going already."

* * *

Karsh and Dario high fived each other, laughing giddily as they pointed at the ship and each other. The two were now hiding behind a large pile of crates that must have held imports from other parts of the world and exports that would be heading off to other parts of the world. "Karsh, my man, you are SUCH a genius! Sneaking off the boat was a great idea!" said Dario, holding his stomach from laughing so hard. "Now we can check this place out for REAL!"

"Yeah, we aren't going to be stuck in that Gurdia Castle fer this whole trip," said Karsh. He grinned. "Let's go and see if we ken find ourselves some trouble ta git into! Ah bet they've got lots of adventures just waiting to happen!" Dario's eyes lit up in a way that told anyone who knew him well enough that something devious was being concocted in that blonde head of his.

"Yeah, lucky for us someone put the gangplank out early," said Dario. He sighed, tapping a finger against his cheek. "I wonder who did that, though? The captain said that no one was supposed to leave the ship until around nine, and it's just barely after five-thirty!"

"Yeah, drinkin' ten glasses of water before bed makes a great alarm clock!" said Karsh. "But this'll be good. Now we dunt have to worry about swimming in the harber. We're perfectly dry!" He put his hands on his hips, smiling to himself. "Who kers if it was a wee bit odd?"

"Still. . . something doesn't seem right," said Dario. He looked over at the ship, then blinked. "Hey. . . Karsh. . . someone's coming off the boat right now." He waved his best friend over to where he was watching the gangplank. Karsh shrugged and joined his friend, the two spying on the people getting off.

"One of 'em is kind of short. . ." said Karsh.

Dario's eyes widened. "That's Glenn!" Dario hissed. "Who's that with him?"

"I dunt know!" said Karsh. He looked at Dario. "Yer right- something IS fishy."

"I say we follow them and make sure that they don't get into any trouble," said Dario. Karsh nodded, seeing that something most definitely was up. With that, the two began to quietly follow the five-year-old and his suspicious looking companion. This just isn't right. Glenn, Little Brother, why are you with that strange man? Don't you know you could be in serious trouble?

_

* * *

_"Curtis. . . where are we going?" asked Glenn. The sailor was leading Glenn deep into some woods. They'd already crossed a big bridge and he was beginning to get tired. They'd been walking for a long time now- where was Truce? And why was it taking them so long to get there? _Didn't we already go THROUGH Truce, though? Wasn't that big old ship in the Truce Harbor? If that was Truce Harbor, then why is Truce so far from it? Termina Harbor is right in Termina!_

"You'll see," Curtis said shortly.

Glenn frowned. He wanted to argue, but he didn't DARE do it. Curtis was being really nice to offer to take him to Truce and he wanted to treat his new friend with respect. Complaining about not knowing where they were going wasn't very respectful. Still. . . Glenn felt odd about not being let in on what Curtis' plan was. The sailor was holding his hand a bit too tight and they were walking at a kind of fast pace.

Eventually, he heard voices. "Curtis?"

"Quiet," said Curtis, suddenly sounding very mean. Glenn was scared now. This wasn't fun- this was getting downright scary! Just where was Curtis taking him? _Why do I all of a sudden have a really, really bad feeling about this?_ Glenn wondered. What had happened to Curtis? He'd seemed so nice and friendly back on the boat, and his father said that they should be able to trust anyone on the boat, right?

They eventually came to a clearing where they found several men in baggy blue pants, big black boots, and black jackets were waiting. Brown holsters and belts were strapped on in several places, some wearing helmets. One man stepped up. "Well? Is this little Glenn, son of the Deva Garai?"

"Yes, it's him all right," said Curtis, shoving Glenn roughly forward. "I told you I'd bring you something good. Check at Guardia Castle once the King and Queen get off the boat with those El Nido Dragoons- one of the Devas should be panic stricken when he finds his precious little boy has gone missing."

"What?" asked Glenn, who was now on his hands and knees. He looked over his shoulder, the look on his face only possible when someone, especially a small child, had been betrayed by someone they trusted. "You, you said that you talked to my daddy before we left! And what are we doing here? Who are these men? Curtis! What's going on!" He didn't CARE if he was being rude. Something was seriously wrong and Glenn wanted to know what was going on!

Curtis laughed. His look had darkened. No. This was not the man that Glenn had talked to the previous night on the boat. "Stupid kid. Like a stupid little lamb you've led yourself to the slaughterhouse," he said. "These are some very good friends and colleagues of mine. Marty, Jack, Dennis, and Aaron. The five of us are all some of the finest generals that our republic has ever seen. And you, my dear boy, are now our official property!"

Glenn's eyes widened. "You. . . you work for Porre!"

"Smart boy," said the man who'd stepped forward. Seeing that he was, indeed, in the hands of the Porre military, Glenn scrambled to his feet and darted around Curtis, making a desperate break for freedom. The men behind him swore as they started to give chase. "GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Glenn didn't listen to them. He didn't know what would happen to him if they caught him (or he went back there- yeah, just like he'd volunteer to eat anything Zippa made that started with "hag" and ended in "gis"), but he knew it would be bad. He was smaller then they were and he was able to slip through places that those men couldn't slip through. _Daddy's gonna be so mad at me! Curtis didn't tell him anything! That dirty-rotten man tricked me into coming with him so he could kidnap me!_

"What's his Innate Color!"

"I don't know!"

"I've got it! He's green! Quick! Who's got an ElectroBolt!"

"ELECTROBOLT! ON A FIVE YEAR OLD?"

"It'll just knock him out! USE IT! BEFORE HE GETS AWAY!"

"Fine!"

Glenn stopped suddenly, feeling a sudden shock overcome his entire body as the forest around him was swallowed in a bright yellow light. He fell to his knees, screaming in pain. No! What was happening to him! What were those men doing to him! The attack stopped, leaving Glenn feeling weak and helpless. He fell forward, loosing consciousness very quickly.

A strong pair of arms picked him up, cradling his weakened form. Glenn saw that he was being carried by none other than Curtis. The man he thought was his friend now had a crazed look on his face. _He's crazy,_ Glenn thought to himself. He sniffled, feeling tears flow down his face. "Why?" he asked, choking on his own sobs.

"If your father and the other Dragoons don't fight, Guardia will be ours. . ."

* * *

_GLENN! NO! YOU PORRE BASTARDS!_ Dario thought to himself, watching his little brother's kidnapping in complete horror. Karsh was silent as he knelt beside him, his eyes wide and his breath increasing in speed. His little brother. . . his only little brother in the entire world was being kidnapped by those Porre bastards!

"Ah dunt believe this! Poor Glenn!" said Karsh. He turned to Dario. "Dario, if we dunt do something soon, they'll keel him!" He bit his lip. "What do we do, what do we do?" He looked down at the ground. "Why was ah so mean to him! Why? Ah could've been a wee bit nicer to him but NO!"

"Karsh, calm down! If we panic we'll ALL die!" Dario hissed. Karsh nodded, calming down. "Okay, we have to follow these men and find out where they're taking Glenn. Then MAYBE we can rescue him, or at least find a way to send one of us back to Truce in a hurry so we can tell the adults what's happened."

"THAT'S yer plan!" said Karsh.

"I'm only twelve years old and it was short notice, give me a break!" said Dario. "Now let's get going before. . . I don't want to think about what'll happen to him!" The elder brother closed his eyes, taking a moment of meditation. "Let's go, Karsh." The two friends shook hands before heading off towards the most dangerous trouble they had ever gotten themselves into in all twelve years of their existence.

* * *

Riddel walked around the ship that had brought them to the Zenan Mainland. "Dario? Dario, where are you?" she asked. No answer. When she'd gotten up to look for Dario, Karsh, and Glenn, she'd found all three missing from their beds. Getting fed up, she cupped her hands over her mouth. "DARIOOOOO! KAAARSH! GLENNNNN! WHERE ARE YOU?"  
"My dear, is everything all right?" Riddel looked over to see the concerned face of Queen Marle looking at her. The queen was wearing a simple blue dress, her golden blonde hair falling around her shoulders. "You seem distressed and I couldn't help but hear your yells. Is something wrong?"

"It's the boys," she said. "They weren't in their cabins this morning and I haven't seen them."

"I'm sure they're around somewhere. Boys will be boys," she said. "At their age they need to prowl around a little bit." She giggled, then bent down to Riddel's level and began to whisper in her ear. "It makes them feel like men instead of the little boys they are. They'll grow out of it soon enough."

"No, that's not the full extent of it!" said Riddel, shaking her head. "No one's seen them at all this morning! Zappa and Garai are both wrecks! Father's trying to calm them down and is assuring them that they're just being boys, but even THEY wouldn't hide for this long, especially if they saw the condition their fathers were in! Zappa has been pacing back and fourth in his room all morning and Zippa's been absolutely hysterical! Garai looks ready to cry, and the only time I've ever seen him cry was right after Eileen died! If something happens to Dario or Glenn, he'll just die!"

Marle's eyes widened. Her mind drifted off to the night they'd arrived at Viper Manor. When that man realized his son was in trouble he simply reacted. He didn't ask questions, didn't hesitate, he just took off for the Bluffs, running as fast as his legs could carry him. _That man truly cares for his family. Those two boys are all that he has left._

As if it had been planned, one of the crew members rushed up to Queen Marle. He skidded to a stop, on his hands and knees as he sat before the queen. He caught his breath and stood up, turning his full attention to the Queen. "Your Highness, I have some rather bad news," he said. Riddel and the Queen turned their attention to the crew member. "We found the gangplank already set up this morning and one of the crew members didn't report this morning."

The Queen raised an eyebrow. "Odd. Three of the children are gone as well."

The crew member nodded. "I'll alert the captain, General Viper, and the King, milady. Something is very, very wrong with this picture. A missing crew member AND missing children? That crew member hasn't been with us very long and we haven't had a chance to fully check his background."

Queen Marle narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, she didn't look like the kind, youthful queen who ruled with a kind and gentle heart. Now the Queen resembled a general or a more hardened ruler. This was a side of the Queen that few ever saw, and when they saw it, they KNEW that she meant business. Even Riddel could feel the almost negative vibe from the young monarch. "Get Viper, Crono, and the Devas RIGHT NOW!"

"Yes, your highness!" said the sailor, saluting his queen before running off.

"Marle?" asked Riddel.

Queen Marle's eyes remained narrowed she looked off in the direction that the sailor had run off in. _Three of the children are missing as well as a sailor whom we haven't given a thorough background check. The gangplank was down. Those boys and that man aren't on the ship anymore. _ "I smell trouble."


	6. Chapter Five

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Five: In The Dark

Drip. Drip. Drop.

Drip. Drip. Drop.

Glenn groaned, wondering where that dripping sound was coming from. He opened his eyes, his fingers feeling something rough. He forced himself up, feeling something fall out of his hair. He looked down to see lots and lots of straw underneath him. He blinked, confused. What had happened?

He looked around a little more and saw that he was in an area that looked a little like the Viper Manor dungeon, only a lot darker and creepier looking. In fact, he was in one of the cells of this foreign prison. Glenn stood up, shaking his small body to get all of the straw off. His heart hurt and he felt weak, his body aching in several places. _Ow. . ._

Glenn walked over to the bars, placing his hands on them. "Hello?" he asked. "Is anyone there?" The only answer he received (if it even counts as an answer) was the dull dripping in the background. "Hello?" he asked a little louder. "Where am I? Could, could someone let me out of here? Please? I need to get back home to my daddy and my big brother before they get worried about me."

He heard a very shifty laughter coming from around the corner. Glenn gulped as he saw a very scrappy looking old man in a Porre uniform appear. He had thin, oily black hair that was an absolute mess. His yellowing teeth were crooked, several sticking out of his mouth, pushing past his thin lips. The man's entire frame was thin and wiry, skin sinking into places that gave the man a very skeletal look. Glenn fell to his bottom from shock as he laid his eyes apon the man, scrambling as far into his cell as he could. The man cackled, leaning his back against the bars as he fell to the floor.

"So, little one, you don't like the dungeon?" he said.

Glenn curled himself into a ball, never taking his eyes off the man.

The man turned around, flashing a disgusting display of yellow, brown, black, and missing teeth. "Commander Curtis told me that you were a very special guest. The son of one of the Acacia Dragoons, eh? He should've left you back in the El Nido Archipelago, where you would've been safe from us, eh boy? Eh?"

"Get away from me!" Glenn cried out.

"Oh, I can't do that. I'm supposed to keep an eye on you so you don't get away," he said. "The Commander told me that he thinks he can use you against the Dragoons. Garai, your father, is considered the most dangerous of the Devas. If he tries to fight, then a very, very unfortunate fate will come to you. If the Acacia Dragoons agree to pull out in return for your safety, then we get Guardia."

"But that's not fair!" said Glenn.

"All is fair in love and war, my boy," he said. "Now shut up!"

Glenn bit his lip as he quieted. This wasn't going to turn out very well and he knew it. He sniffled. _I should have known better,_ he thought to himself. _Why did I trust that man? Daddy told me not to trust strangers. But, he was working for Guardia! How could he have been working for Porre, too?_

_A spy,_ a little voice told him. _He was a spy._

Glenn hung his head. _I've really done it this time,_ he thought. _I'm never going to see Daddy or Dario or Riddel or Viper or even Karsh ever again! I'm never going to go home again! I'm never going to sleep in my bed again or grow up to be a Dragoon like Daddy or anything!_

With that, Glenn started to weep.

* * *

"How-"

_Pant._

_"-_much-"

_Pant._

_"-_father-"

_Pant._

_"-_is-"

_Pant_.

"-it-"

_Pant._

"-to-"

_Pant._

_"-_Porre?"

"How-"

_ Pant._

_"-_should-"

_Pant._

_"-_ah-"

_Pant._

"-know?"

Dario and Karsh had been following Glenn's kidnappers several hours now. They hadn't stopped for anything (though Karsh had made a very quick pit stop behind a tree to take care of some very important business that nature was calling him to do). By now they had long lost track of the men (who had some sort of a high-tech cart of some sort that could move faster than the boys could) and now they were relying solely on guess work. Which wasn't getting them very far.

The boys stopped briefly, taking a seat on a conveniently placed boulder. Dario looked up into the sky, watching the position of the sun. "It's in the afternoon and the sun is going that way," he said. Karsh looked up at Dario, a look that plainly said "what's yer point?" plastered onto his face. "Since the sun sets to the west, then that means we're facing the east, so we go that way."

"How did ye figure that out?" asked Karsh.

"I just explained it!" said Dario. He pointed towards the direction that the sun was headed. "The sun sets in the west. The set is working its way over there! That makes that west! We're looking AWAY from the sun. That means that we're facing the east, so Porre is THAT way!"

"AH KNEW THAT! Ah meant how did ye know where Porre is?"

"Oh," said Dario. "Dad told me Porre was to the south of a big forest to the south of the Zenan Bridge, which we crossed earlier, remember?" Karsh nodded, understanding where Dario was going. His friend nodded, looking pleased with himself. "So we keep heading south until we reach Porre, that's all."

"One more question."

"Yeah?"

"What da we do once we git there?" Karsh asked, placing a hand on his hip. He raised an eyebrow at Dario, stuck one foot slightly out, and began to tap it. He craned his neck forward, waiting for Dario's big answer. "Well, Dario? Cat got yer tongue? What da we do once we git there?"

". . . um, find Glenn?" was the best response Dario could come up with.

The purple haired youth threw his head back and snorted. "Dunt tell me that ye actually think they're going ta leave him out in the open where we ken find him, or is that what ye think they'll do?" said Karsh. Dario didn't answer him. "They're going ta throw him in a prison er something like that. Ye won't find him that easily, Dario. If we want to find him we have to look a wee bit harder than that!"

"We can't break into a Porre military base! That's suicide!" said Dario.

"Ye have a better idea?"

"Well, no, but we can't just charge in there. We're kids!"

"Exactly. Ah dunt recall seeing that Curtis character on the boat. He'd be the only Porre slime on that boat, so we should be able to move about freely without someone getting a tad bit suspicious," said Karsh. "To most of the townspeople we're just a couple of punks. No one'll think that we're the sons of two Devas."

Dario nodded, seeing Karsh's logic. Yeah. They'd be okay until they found Glenn.

_If there's anything left to find. . .

* * *

_Glenn wanted to gag. The entire prison was now reeking with the smell of booze, smoke, and puke. The creepy man who'd been given the task of guarding him had gotten bored and taken out several cigars and a bottle of whiskey, then proceeded to drink himself silly.

The guard was now lying unconscious on the floor.

Getting curious, Glenn cautiously crawled over to the bars. The man was clearly out for the count and his breath smelled really bad. It even smelled worse than Karsh's socks, and that was pretty bad. Glenn backed away from the unconscious drunk. No, that wouldn't do. He might pass out from that smell, too.

He looked around his prison. Maybe he could find a way out now that the guard was unconscious. He started digging through the straw, seeing if he couldn't find a grate or something that would prove some sort of an escape. Sadly, he found none. Glenn pouted. The only was out was, apparently enough, the door.

Glenn walked over to the door (after pulling his shirt up over his nose and mouth) to inspect it. It was simple enough- it had a keyhole that locked and unlocked the door. Glenn didn't know anything about how to pick a lock, so he'd have to find the key. But where would he find a key?

Glenn looked down at the unconscious man. _Guards usually have keys,_ he thought to himself. He knelt down and looked over the man. His eyes widened as he saw the key ring resting on the man's belt. Glenn grinned. Those keys were his ticket out of that smelly dungeon and back to Guardia!

Steadily, Glenn reached through the bars and wrapped his fingers around the key ring. Carefully, he pulled it off the man's belt. He was pleased at how easily they came off. With the keys in his hand, he stood up and began to try different keys. After two unlucky tries, he heard a click and the door squeaked open. Glenn silently cheered. He was free! He pushed the door open, jumped over the unconscious guard, and ran down the prison hallway.

* * *

Dark had fallen and there was still no sign of the missing soldier or the three missing boys. The King sighed heavily as he looked out his bedroom window. Ever since Marle had told him what she thought happened, his perception had slowly changed from one of high skepticism to serious worry. Those boys were the sons of Devas. The Devas wouldn't function properly if their children remained missing.

"Crono?" Crono looked behind him to see Marle had come up behind him, shaking her arms around his waist. Crono felt the tension leave his body as his wife rested her head on his shoulder. "You're worried about those poor boys too, aren't you?" she said. "We'll find them."

"I certainly hope so," he said. "They're only children. Children!"

"I know, I know," said Marle.

"Just children," said Crono. "They haven't done anything to Porre. What could they do? At best they've won a few junior championships with wooden practice swords. They're still young and innocent. They have their whole lives ahead of them. Why would Porre want to harm children?"

"To get to the Devas," said Marle. "This just shows how heartless they are."

Crono sighed heavily. "How did this happen? They were just a quiet fishing community just four years ago. Where, where did all of these weapons and machines come from? All these warships and guns. . . it's frightening, Marle. The Dragoons and the Guardia army still use swords. Even if I were to pull out the Rainbow or the Masamune we'd still be no match for them!"

"What about our magic?" asked Marle. She cracked a grin that Crono hadn't seen since he and several friends of his from across time and space had gone to the year 1999 to battle Lavos. "I have nothing against using an Ice 2 against anyone who'd think to harm an innocent child."

"If I had it my way I'd Luminaire the bastards all the way to the Day of Lavos, but we can't do that, Marle," said Crono. "The only people who ever knew about our adventures were you, me, Lucca, Robo, Ayla, Frog, Magus, Melchoir, Gaspar, and Spekkio. Ayla, Magus and Frog have been dead and buried for a long time to come, Robo probably hasn't even been built yet, Gaspar and Spekkio are in the End of Time and Melchoir is still living quietly in Medina. If we used our magic then the people would get suspicious of us. How would we explain something like that?"

Marle sighed. He was right. "Fine. We won't use magic."

Crono hugged Marle and kissed her forehead. "Let's try and get some sleep, hon. It's going to be a very long day for both of us and the Dragoons tomorrow. Until we find out what happened to the boys this castle is going to be a mess. I KNOW it's Porre behind this and I'm not going to let them get away with this."

* * *

Dario and Karsh had found themselves in Porre well after nightfall. It didn't seem like much at first glance- a lot of normal houses and cobblestone roads. But then your eyes caught sight of the looming warships and huge warehouses where who-knows-what was kept for safe keeping.

The boys had settled in for a night of sleep in an alleyway. Karsh had gotten to sleep, but Dario was still awake. Glenn was somewhere in this psychotic city ALONE. He was in serious danger and if they didn't find him soon, even worse. Dario shuddered at thought. No. He'd save Glenn.

_I guess it really was a good thing that Karsh and I decided to sneak off the boat after all. If we didn't, we wouldn't have known that Glenn had been kidnapped. Well, we might've guessed it, but. . . we wouldn't be here trying to save him. How would any of the adults have figured out where he'd gone?_

Dario yawned. It was getting later and later and he was getting tired. _I'm no use to Glenn if I'm half asleep,_ he thought to himself. He yawned again and looked up at the starry sky. "Glenn. . . if I can't save you, I just. . . I just hope you know that I love you. I, I couldn't have asked for a better little brother than you. I, I know that I'm always telling you to get lost and leave me alone, but. . . I really do care about you, I just don't show it all the time. I wish I did show it more often now that you've been taken away by that rotten Curtis man. I'd give anything to see you safe again. Anything."

Dario sighed heavily, leaning up against the brick wall of one of the buildings they slept between. He closed his eyes, breathing steadily in and out as he tried to calm himself. He was in Porre. He was going to find Glenn. Then, the three of them would leave Porre all in one piece and head back to Guardia. He didn't care how long his father punished him. All he wanted now was his baby brother back. And he would not leave Porre without him.

Never.


	7. Chapter Six

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Six: Caught

Glenn didn't know just how long he'd been wandering around the building he'd been trapped it, but it felt like forever. He hadn't been able to find an exit, which was bad. But on a good note, he hadn't found Curtis or any of his friends or any other men in the Porre army. So far he was having some pretty good luck with his current situation.

The building he was in was very, very big with many twists and turns in the hallway. Glenn knew that he was getting himself lost, but he had to find a way out and staying in that smelly dungeon wasn't going to help him find an escape. There weren't many doors, but Glenn didn't want to open any and draw attention to himself. He hadn't seen any windows, so he guessed that he was pretty deep inside the building. If he wasn't, he might've seen a window by now.

_Unless they don't have windows here,_ he thought miserably.

He heard footsteps and silently began to panic. What if it was Curtis! Taking a leap of faith, he opened a door and closed it part of the way, looking out of it to see if he could see anyone. He saw a few guards walk by, talking about "hookers" that they'd "done". Glenn didn't know what hookers were, but they sounded like they must've had a lot of hooks- maybe they were fishing lures? He'd ask his father or Dario about that later. Still, what did the men mean by "doing" them? _These Porre soldiers are weird. . ._

Glenn heard his stomach rumble. He frowned. He hadn't eaten anything all day and he was pretty hungry. _Well. . . it wouldn't hurt to find the kitchen and steal some food so I can eat something_. While Glenn knew that stealing food was bad (this was a lesson learned at an earlier age when an infuriated Orcha chased him out of the Viper Manor mess hall), he could make an acceptation here. After all, they'd kidnapped him, and kidnapping was basically stealing a person, right? So it was fair. They stole him? He'd steal their food.

The little boy sniffed the air every so often, looking for the smell of food, all the while continuing to avoid guards and anybody else he came across. Once he stepped on a cat's tail. The cat didn't like that very much and screamed. Glenn could hear some men yelling about shutting the stupid cat up, and he had to just about dive into a closet to keep from being spotted.

Eventually, he nose caught something that smelled like food. He followed the scent to an open door. He carefully looked in and saw what was definitely a kitchen. He quietly tip-toed in. There was a very large woman standing over a pot of some kind of a soup. Glenn bit his lip, trying to remain quiet. He carefully got past her and hid behind several large sacks of flour.

Soon, the woman took the pot off the stove and carried it out of the kitchen, presumably taking it out of the kitchen to feed the Porre soldiers. Seeing that the coast was clear, Glenn came out of hiding and started looking for food. He saw a few loaves of bread by the stove and grabbed one. He stared at it greedily. It wasn't much, but it was better than going hungry.

Glenn looked around. That woman could show up any minute. He spotted a door that was slightly ajar. Glenn walked over to the door and looked inside. Barrels of raw fruits and vegetables lined the room as well as sacks of grains, sugar, and salt. Jars of jams and sauces were also in the room. _A pantry_, the boy concluded.

The boy slipped inside and found a safe spot within the barrels. He began to tear away at the bread, trying to come up with a plan of escape. Unfortunately with only five years to his name, he didn't have much knowledge to work off of. He couldn't read yet and he wasn't clever enough to set off what Karsh called "chain reactions", which were things that Karsh liked to set off a lot. The only thing Glenn knew about those were that they made a big mess and Karsh got in trouble for using them. In fact, the last one he'd used got him grounded for a whole two months.

He heard a voice outside the door and shrank back into his hiding spot. Maybe if he was really quiet they wouldn't find him. He watched as two men walked in, both of them in Porre uniforms like the ones that Curtis' friends had been wearing. But thanks to the helmets, there was no way for Glenn to tell if either of them was involved with Curtis. He bit his lip. _Just stay calm and don't make a sound. Don't move a muscle._

One of the men sat one of the barrels Glenn was hiding behind, but since the man had his back to the small boy, he didn't see him. "So, what do you think about that new tank that they unveiled this after? Pretty cool, huh? What will the guys down at the lab come up with next, a cyborg?" said the man on the barrel. "That thing is incredible!"

"Yeah, sure," said the other man. "But that tank is something else. I talked with some of those guys. They believe the tank is indestructible. I don't know how they did it or where they got the material for it, but I think they're right- I shot at it with my gun and it didn't even leave a dent! That thing is something else, ya know?"

"I hope I get a chance to drive it. I could run right over Truce and Guardia with that thing. Heck, I'll run over those El Nido freaks, too!" said the man on the barrel. He laughed. He cleared his throat. "Speaking of the El Nido Dragoons, you hear what Commander Curtis pulled off today?"

"No, I didn't, what did he do, Marty?"  
"Curtis got on the ship posing as a new sailor so he could spy on the royalty and the general. Well, they weren't talking about the war effort, so he needed to come up with a better plan. Turns out the Devas and the General all brought their kids on the ship they took to get to Truce," said the man, now named Marty. "He found one of them out WAY past his bedtime, flashed us the signal in that signal code with some fancy lighting trick, and tricked him into coming off the boat with him. He brought the shrimp to me and the boys. He almost got away, but we smacked him with one of those element things. Now if the Deva wants his brat back, he has to pull out."

"One Deva out of commission? What the hell does that do for us?"

"It was GARAI'S son. Garai is the leader of the Devas and the one who welds that Einlanzer sword- you know, the silver sword that has power to rival the Masamune? Going up against the Masamune is going to be tough enough- you want to go up against that thing, too? If he doesn't fight with Guardia and the Dragoons, then the odds go up in our favor. No Einlanzer, no problem," said Marty. He snickered, leaning back towards the wall, bracing himself with an extended arm. Glenn held his breath. If Marty fell, he was done. "Curtis is brilliant."

"Yeah! I think, anyways. . ."

Apparently, Marty wasn't happy with the comment and he got upset. "You're not paid to think, you're paid to fight, you dumb- AHH!" Marty had apparently gotten REALLY upset and started to move around, which caused him to loose his balance and fall backwards- right into Glenn! "What the hell- YOU? HOW DID YOU GET OUT?"  
Glenn screamed and climbed on top of Marty, managed to step on a very tender part of the male anatomy. Marty screamed in pain then curled into a ball, trying to nullify the very painful and unpleasant sensation that had come over him. Not really caring what happened to Marty, Glenn made a bee-line for the door. The other soldier, however, was a little faster than Glenn and dove down on top of him, locking the small child in a bear hug.

"Got ya, ya little- AHHH! LITTLE SON OF A BITCH!" Glenn broke away from the soldier as the man nursed his bare arm, which the small child had just bitten. "I SWEAR I'M GOING TO GET YOU FOR THAT ONE YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF CRAP! I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!"

Glenn started to run down the halls. They knew he was out now- no sense in hiding anymore, they'd just find him again. He darted past several soldiers and servants, some of them realizing that he was the escaped hostage. Before long, Glenn found himself with at least ten people on his tail, and still no sign of an exit.

CRASH!

Glenn found himself suddenly on his bottom, looking up at Curtis, who was now dressed in a Porre uniform. He screamed, only to receive a kick in the side for his effort. The Porre Commander advanced on the child, barking at everyone to back on. "This one is MINE," he said, grabbing Glenn roughly by the shoulder. He sneered at the little boy, causing him to try and shrink away from the now VERY scary man. "I don't know how you escaped, but you're in trouble now, little one."

* * *

After an incident with a cat, a dog, a trash can, and something flammable, Dario and Karsh were now very much awake again and wandering the streets of Porre. It was night time, everyone was probably asleep, and that would probably be the best time to try and rescue Glenn, anyways.

"So, which building is he in, Karsh?" asked Dario.

"How should ah know?" asked Karsh.

"Good point," said Dario. "Okay, what's your best guess?"  
Karsh scratched his head, looking around. "Ah'd say one of those big gray ones."

Dario nodded. "So that narrows it down to about three, maybe four buildings," he said, sighing heavily. "We're doomed. There's no way we'll ever find him in the strange city! Those buildings are all so big! What if while we're searching through three of those buildings he's being hurt in the fourth one!"

"Calm down, Dario!" said Karsh, putting his hands on his friend's shoulders. "We'll find yer little brother before something bad happens to em. Before ye know it we'll be back home and he'll be trying to get in our way like he always does, ye hear me? He'll be fine."

Dario nodded, taking in a few deep breaths. "You're right. He'll be-"

"Hey!"

"AHH!" Both boys began to scream and run around needlessly in circle, eventually crashing into each other. "OOF!" Once they had gotten over their brief dizzy spell, they looked up to see a boy around their age looking down at them. He had blonde hair with a slight hint of green that had been neatly combed to one side. Dario and Karsh exchanged looks with one another.

"What're you doing out at this hour?" the newcomer asked.

Karsh stood up, brushing himself off. "Oh yeah? What're YOU doing out?"

"I asked you first!"

"Well now ahm asking you!"

"Karsh, cut it out!" said Dario. He then turned to the boy. "Who are you?"

"Like you care," said the boy.

Karsh glared at him. _So, the newcomer has a name. . . I'll remember that. But why do I get the feeling that there's more to this guy than meets the eye? Ha! Good one, Karsh, he's just some stupid Porre kid that you'll probably never lay eyes on ever again and you know it!_

"Well, my name's Dario and this is Karsh," said Dario. "Now who are you?"

The other boy glared at them. "You know, my father is a high ranking commander in the Porre military," he threatened. "I can get you in big trouble if you keep this up, you know. Your parents will have a fit if they were to find our you were sneaking out late at night."

Karsh snorted. "First off, aren't ye doing the sing thing?"

The other boy paused. "Well. . . I. . . um-"

Dario grinned. "And what kind of a wuss are you if you have to have your old man fight all of your battles?" he said. "Face it, you're a coward and you know it. Threatening to turn in those committing the same crime you are and hiding behind your daddy. What a guy!"

"Well, well, my dad is Commander Curtis!" he said.

"Again with yer- did ye say CURTIS?" asked Karsh.

"Yeah, that's right!" said the kid. "I see you've heard of him."

"Yeah we have all right- he kidnapped my baby brother!" said Dario.

The Porre boy looked between the two other boys and started to laugh. "Oh, that's a good one. My dad is a respectable officer in the Porre army- why would he go after some little dipstick when he can go after a Guardia general or even one of those El Nido guys," he said.

Karsh growled, grabbed the other boy's shirt collar, and pushed him into the wall. He placed his face in the other boy's face, growling. "Look. We happen to be the sons of two of the Acacia Dragoon Devas, ye got that? He took Glenn to taunt his old man into not fighting."

"You're-!" the other boy started before Karsh clamped a hand over his mouth.

"I'll kick yer butt so hard ye'll-"

"Karsh! Shut up!" said Dario. He turned to the other boy. "Look. My little brother is only five. If you aren't lying about Curtis being your father, then he lured my brother off of our boat and into his hands. He's only five years old and he's probably scared to death. What has a five year old done against Porre? Tell me that. What harm has a five year old who is probably a lot like you were when you were his age done?"

The other boy blinked, looking thoughtful. Karsh let him go and the boy fell to his knees. Karsh and Dario surrounded their prisoner. Their captive stared at the ground, seeming to try and absorb the words that they'd told him, trying to decide if he believed their story. The boy looked up at them, then sighed. "May I stand?" The other two shook their heads no, not wanting this boy to try anything funny. "You really must be after your brother- you two sound desperate." He looked over at one of the stone buildings. "He should be in there if he's anywhere."

Karsh looked over at the building. "All right. So we git ourselves in there."

"It's impenetrable if you don't know the way in," said the other boy.

"What's the way in?" asked Dario.

"I can show you how to get in."

"How can we trust you not to turn us in?" asked Dario.

"Well. . ." said the other boy, "I don't think it's right for my father to have done something like that to a five year old. He's always been very protective of me and I remember what he and my mom looked like when I disappeared on them once when I was a kid. My mother was in crying hysterics and my father looked beside himself. His parents must be in a similar state."

"I bet yer dad's in horrible shape," said Karsh.

Dario nodded. "My mother died just a few months ago and he's still healing from that."

The other boy looked away. "I wouldn't want Guardia or El Nido taking my son because I was from Porre. And how would my father feel in your father's shoes? Pretty awful, right?" He looked down. "I don't know much about war, but I don't think that it's right. I mean, you say he's five."

"Yes! He doesn't mean anyone any harm!" said Dario.

The other boy finally nodded, sighing in exasperation as he threw his hands into the air. "All right. I don't know WHY I'm helping you, but I'll tell you one thing right now- you are from El Nido, I am from Porre. I'm only helping you because if you speak the truth this is wrong on too many levels for me to ignore- we're trained in school to fight with honor and dignity and I see no way that kidnapping an innocent child counts as an honorable act."

Dario held out his hand, shaking the other boy's hand. "Deal. And your name is?"

"Oh. My name is Norris."


	8. Chapter Seven

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Seven: Forever Changed

"All right, all right, now that we're all aquatinted, let's get down to business," said Karsh. He turned to their new acquaintance, chewing on the end of his ponytail as he looked the Porre boy up and down. "How da we git into that place and find Glenn before something bad happens to the little squirt?"

Norris looked around the streets. "I think there's a secret entrance through the sewers," he said. He scrunched up his face. "But it's the sewers. There's. . . stuff. . . down there. It'll be the safest entrance but. . . it'll smell REALLY bad and it's supposed to be REALLY nasty down there."

Dario snorted. "Karsh and I play in the sewers beneath Viper Manor all the time- there's a ton of cool stuff down there," he said. "After a while it doesn't smell anymore- my nose is deadened to that smell now and I go down there to be alone sometimes. Karsh, on the other hand, has to bring a gas mask, right old boy?"

"Ahll be fine. Norris, do ye know the way in from there?"

Norris nodded. "I went there once on a dare to snatch something from the armory, but it was several months ago. I hope I can remember it well enough to help your brother in time." He looked down at a metal circle on the street. "We can get into the sewers through here."

"At this point I'll do anything," said Dario, helping Norris remove the cover.

"By the way, why are ye out here?"

"Heh. . . I'm grounded right now and I HAD to get outside- best time to do it."

"Ah hear ye loud and clear."

* * *

"Ow! Put me down!" Glenn protested, punching and kicking as his captor carried him down the hallway of the Porre facility. Curtis had him under one arm and wasn't phased in the least bit by the screaming child that he was carrying. No. This little boy had been bad. Bad little boys deserved to be punished.

Glenn was starting to get tired- the lack of energy was beginning to get to him. After crying, running through the facility, and only going on a loaf of bread for food, he was beginning to feel week. His flailing became less agitated and soon, he stopped. It was no use- either no one cared or they were afraid of Curtis. Glenn whimpered, sniffling. _I want my daddy. . ._ Tears began to flow freely down his cheeks. The soft, flawless cheeks his mother had loved and was always pinching before she died.

_"You have my skin, little one."_

_"I do, Mommy?"  
"Yes. It's soft and silky. . . just like mine. You truly must be my son!"_

_"Mommy, you're silly."_

_Why'd you have to die, Mommy?_ Glenn thought as he fought back more tears. _If you were alive then I'd be back home with you helping you in your garden or playing with you. I don't want to be here with this man anymore! Mommy! Why'd you have to die! Why'd you have to leave me, Dario, and Daddy alone!_

Curtis opened a door and brought Glenn into a fairly dark room. There wasn't much light, but what little light there was in the room was reflected off of several sharp and pointed objects. Glenn gulped- he didn't like the look of this room at all. It reminded him of the armory in Viper Manor. Dario had gone in there after a ball once and triggered a trap- he'd nearly been run through with an arrow. _Is that gonna happen to me now?_

As they went further in, it got darker and darker. Glenn whimpered. He wasn't afraid of the dark or anything (that was Dario's problem, which made no sense to Glenn since his father had come up with the conclusion that Dario had a black innate color), but he didn't like not being able to see what was going on. Curtis, however, seemed to know where he was going and kept pressing on. _Is he going to kill me? I don't wanna die!_

"Why do you people want to take over the world?" asked Glenn, still crying. He clenched his fists in anger as his bottom lip trembled in anger and fear as he sniffled. "Why aren't you happy with the land you already have? Why don't you ever share with others? Why do you want to kill people? Why? Why? Why!"

"Power," said Curtis. He snarled at the boy under his arm. "And shut up!"

Glenn shut his mouth, biting his bottom lip as he sniffled again.

Curtis soon laid Glenn down on a flat, tilted surface. "Move and I kill you," the man threatened. Glenn stayed perfectly still, only wincing as wide leather straps bound him to the board. He heard Curtis walk away. Glenn wasn't sure if he was being left in this dark place to die or if Curtis was coming back to do something bad. Both options upset him and he was hit with a new wave of tears.

Several minutes passed. Glenn's mind started to wander. It had been very quiet, making Glenn wonder if Curtis was still in the room. _Is he just leaving me here?_ Glenn wondered. He shuddered at the thought. Dying alone in the dark, creepy room. He shook his head. No! He'd find a way out of this one, too. He'd been able to escape from his cell all by himself, hadn't he? It shouldn't be that much harder to get off of this table, could it?

Glenn started to wiggle and squirm in desperation, seeing if he could inch his way out of the situation he was currently in. Sadly, however, Curtis had strapped him down really tight and he couldn't get out. He sniffled. He knew he was too little to try and break them and squirming was the only other way out. But that, he had learned, wasn't working out so well.

A squeaky sound could be heard. Glenn tried to listen hard to figure out what it was. It wasn't the kind of squeak a rat or a mouse would make. It was more like rusty wheels. _He's wheeling something over,_ Glenn thought. _What's he wheeling over?_ The boy decided he might be happier NOT thinking about it.

FLASH!

Glenn winced, not liking the sudden bright light in his face. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw that a big light like the one above the dragon stables at Viper Manor had been what was brought over. At least, he didn't think it had been there before. He heard a scraping sound and saw Curtis pushing a stool over to where he was held. Glenn trembled in fear. Curtis was given him an icy cold glare that sent chills up his spine.

Curtis sat down on the stool. "You, little lamb, were a very naughty boy back there," he said. He put on a sort of scolding face that held a large amount of sarcasm and a mocking sort of quality to it. "Escaping like that and hiding in our pantry. Tsk, tsk. That was not what you should've done, Glenn. We probably would've let you go unharmed if your father cooperated with us. But now you've forced me to punish you. All little boys deserved to be punished. And for what YOU did, you deserve a very severe punishment!"

"I only want to go home! I wasn't being bad! Let me go! Please!"

Curtis didn't say anything. He roughly pushed Glenn's head done so his right cheek was pressed against the flat surface, then kept a hand there to hold the little boy down. Tears continued to stream down, getting his shirt collar and the table a little wet. "I brought the light over here so I could see what I was doing. I don't want to kill you, but one little slip up could very easily end your life. You should be thankful that I haven't decided to shoot you or use another Element on you, boy. Very lucky indeed."

Glenn blinked, feeling even more tears beginning to form in his eyes. This was scary! He didn't want to be here! He tried squirming again, only to have Curtis shove him hard onto the table. Glenn cried out in protest, not liking the advances the commander was giving him.

A swishing sort of sound could soon be heard. Glenn barely recognized the sound as that of a switchblade- a knife. What was Curtis going to do to him with a knife? The small boy shook with fear- this was going to be very, very bad. Glenn shuddered with fear. _No! No! Don't hurt me, please! Daddy, Dario, anybody, help me, please!_

Glenn felt the sharp point of the knife touch his left cheek. He whimpered. Curtis snickered and slashed downwards, breaking the soft flesh. Glenn screamed as the white hot pain streaked across his young face. He could feel blood dripping from the wound as it trailed down the side of his face and down his neck. He winced in pain, beginning to cry even harder than he had before, which he previously thought had not been possible. Now he was hurt!

"Oh, did that hurt, little lamb?" asked Curtis, every word dripping with bitter droplets of sarcasm that would haunt the small child for years to come. Glenn felt another slash of pain, this one crossing over the first wound. He wailed again, feeling as the salty tears stung the freshly made cuts. Curtis smiled, looking pleased with himself as he lips pulled into a sick and twisted grin. Watching Glenn squirming on the table gave him an odd feeling of satisfaction. "I hope you've learned your lesson, little lamb. NEVER mess with the Porre army. We are the supreme power in this world. We will crush Guardia and El Nido, just like we've crushed Medina and Choras."

"You're a bad man!"

Curtis didn't answer him, still keeping a hand on Glenn's head. "Now, where else can I draw blood? So many possibilities. . . what to do, what to do, what to do?" The commander was grinning darkly at Glenn, adding even more to the small boy's now very traumatized state.

"No! Stop it!" his captive cried, wailing loudly for much of the complex to hear. "I wanna go home! I want my mommy! Mommy!" Curtis laughed, pulling at the blood-stained skin surrounding the wound, causing the child to scream even louder. He snickered. Maybe the boy's father could hear him all the way in Guardia?

The commander didn't seem to comply and raised the blade again, ready to continue the slow torture. Glenn closed his eyes, waiting for the next slice as he body shook with more waves of tears. _Why? WHY? Daddy! Dario! Get me out of here! I want my Daddy! I want my Mommy! I want my brother! Anybody! Help me! Make it stop! _The boy continued to cry, wanting it to stop.

"Commander!"

"What?" Curtis snapped. Glenn could see a rectangular light with a silhouette of a man standing it in through blurred vision. His tormentor seemed very irritated at whoever had come to the door. "Can't you idiots see I'm busy here?" He put the knife down and stood up, folding his arms and tapping his foot impatiently. "Well? Spit it out before I have you tossed into the dungeons!"

"There's been a disturbance in the treasury."

Curtis sighed heavily, standing up. "Fine." He looked at Glenn, giving him a cold glare. Glenn continued to cry. "I don't think my little guest here is going anywhere- I'll be back soon enough, little lamb." He grinned, leaning in close to the boy's face, which had blood running all over it. "Trust me, boy. When I return, it will be much, much worse."

* * *

After Norris had brought the other two would-be rescuers into the building through a grate in what looked like a sleeping quarters of some sort, he'd suggested they cause a disturbance. "That way everyone will pay more attention to that- everyone will see me and assume you two are my friends," said the Porre boy. His two companions nodded.

Before long, the boys found a room filled with jewelry and decorative weapons and armors. "is this place?" asked Dario, admiring a golden sword with jewels encrusted into the hilt. "Look at these weapons! The only sword more magnificent than these swords is the Einlanzer!"

"They're just stupid swords- WHOA! What an ax!" said Karsh.

"Not now," said Norris. He picked up a loose ruby and started to back towards the door. "Out of the room." Karsh and Dario shrugged. Once all three were out of the room, Norris came up with a slingshot. He loaded the device, aimed it at an expensive looking mail, and let the ruby fly.

BOINK!

The mail fell over, causing an alarm to go off. Norris looked at his companions. "Now RUN!"

Karsh and Dario didn't need a second warning as all three boys darted down a hallway and into the safety of a broom closet. Given it was a bit of a tight fit, but as Norris ditched the sling shot and the stampede of running calmed, the three boys left the room. Karsh gave Norris a look of approval as they boys began to run down the hallway. The further they went from the alarm, they found, the softer it became.

"No! Stop it! I wanna go home! I want my mommy! Mommy!"

Norris paused, perking his ears up. "I heard something."

Dario looked at Norris. "What?"

"It sounded like a kid screaming for his mother."

The elder brother stopped, closing his eyes. None of them, however, needed to concentrate to hear the loud screams of pain and fear that echoed throughout the entire complex. Dario's heart nearly stopped and Karsh took on a look of panic. Norris was stunned. There was no doubting it now.

"That sounded like Glenn!" said Karsh.

"Oh no, Glenn!" Dario cried, running to the source of the scream.

"Dario, wait!" Norris cried, starting after him. "You don't know where you're going!"

"Ye know what, Norris? Ah dunt think he cares," said Karsh.

The Porre boy looked at the purple haired El Nido boy. "What?"

"That was 'is little brother. He doesn't need a guide like ye to find 'im."

"I don't understand."

"Ah dunt, either. Ah just accept it," said Karsh.

Norris looked at Karsh and nodded dumbly. "All right, Karsh. Let's find them."


	9. Chapter Eight

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Eight: Alarming Discovery

Dario darted through the halls, looking left and right for his little brother. He could hear Glenn's wails of terror. His heart raced and he felt his palms begin to sweat. _Glenn! Hold on! I'm coming, baby brother! I swear I'll save you on our mother's grave! I'm not leaving here without you! I'm not going to leave you here! Just hang on just a little bit longer!_

He darted to side as two men walked by, one of whom he recognized as he younger brother's kidnapper. Dario looked the man over, mentally trying to remember him. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. _You. . ._ _One day I swear I'm going to make you pay, you sick bastard. You hurt my little brother and I will have my revenge on you._ Once the men had passed, Dario continued on. If he'd seen Curtis, Glenn must be close by!

The sobs of his younger brother soon became louder and Dario knew he was getting closer. Dario felt the walls, trying to determine where Glenn was being kept by any means he could think of. _Please, Glenn, don't be crying because you're hurt- just be scared. Scared is okay- scared will mean a year or so of nightmares. If you're hurt- I can't stand to think of what the consequences will be then!_

Soon enough, Dario found an open door and Glenn's sobs were louder than ever. He looked in to see that, sure enough, his little brother was inside. He'd been tied down to a table of some sort with a bright light shinning on him. But from the volume of his wails Dario knew he was alive and a wave of relief swept over him. He was going to be all right. "Glenn! Glenn!" Dario called rushing into the room.

The younger boy heard his brother and began to squirm on the table, struggling to break free from his binds. He grunted and groaned, using what little strength he had left to break free. His brother was here to save him! "Dario! Dario! Help me!" Glenn cried. "I'm scared!"

"Shh, calm. . . oh no," said Dario, slowly to a halt. Now that he was closer, he could see the x-shaped wound on his brother's face, which was starting to pale from lack of blood. "Oh, Glenn." The younger brother sniffled, starting to cry again. Dario gently touched the injured cheek making sure to keep his fingers off the painful looking wound. A feeling of failure washed over Dario. Glenn had been hurt. _If I had gotten here sooner, maybe you wouldn't be injured. Dad's gonna freak out! _Dario bit his bottom lip. He wouldn't have cared to see his father ground the two of them for a months for disappearing on him like that, but he couldn't stand the thought of what his father's reaction to the wound would be. Anger he could take. Screams he could take. But he knew his father and how much he cared for him and Glenn- the great Garai would break if he saw his youngest like that.

"Dario! Glenn!"

Dario barely acknowledged Karsh's voice. He wordlessly began to un-strap Glenn, letting the hysterical child leap into his arms. The five year old pressed the injured cheek to his brother's chest, trying to make the pain go away as yet another wave of tears overpowered him. Dario gently rubbed Glenn's back, resting his head against his head against his brother's head, hushing him gently as he tried to calm him down.

"Is he all right?" asked Norris.

"No," Dario said quietly, feeling tears beginning to form in his own eyes. "They hurt him!" He looked at Norris and Karsh, both of whom looked surprised at his outburst. Norris looked at Glenn, seeming to mentally confirm that yes, there was a child involved and he'd done the right thing by offering to help rescue him.

"They hurt 'im?" asked Karsh. "What did they do to 'im?"

Glenn's bottom lip trembled. He moved his head away from his brother's chest. Karsh's eyes saw the blood and he nearly turned green from the sight of it. Norris has a stunned look on his face, swallowing in disbelief. Dario's eyes were filled with sadness and pain, almost as if he, too, could feel Glenn's pain.

Norris bit his bottom lip. "Let's get out of here. Now."

No one argued as they wordlessly left the room, Glenn wiping some of his tears away with the back of his sleeve. He felt weak, and his face hurt, but everything was going to be all right. He was with Dario and Karsh and. . . that other kid that was with him. Dario kept an arm around Glenn as they made their way towards the exit.

* * *

The boys snuck in Norris' room, all sprawled out around the plainly decorated area. The Porre boy had locked his room and told his guests to be quiet. "If my mother finds out I'm having a sleep-over without permission- while I'm grounded, none the less- I'll be dead," he said. Dario was sitting in the corner, Glenn asleep in his lap with his head on his shoulder, the wounded side facing the world. The boys had managed to stop the bleeding with a rag Norris had provided, but it was still very red and showed the flesh underneath the tender skin. Karsh was by the window, looking out at the building they had just left.

Norris was sitting on his bed, his eyes never leaving Glenn. That giant red "x" was bothering him. Before the younger child had gone to sleep, they'd managed to gather that indeed it was Commander Curtis who had given him the injury and threatened to do "worse". None of them wanted to discuss what "worse" meant- for it to be worse than what had already been done was something that they hadn't wanted to think about.

"They're asleep," Karsh whispered.

Norris nodded. Apon closer inspection, he saw Dario had drifted to sleep as well.

"Ye wouldn't know it half the time, but he really cares about Glenn," said Karsh. "Ahm an only child, so ah dunt understand it and unless me parents have another bebe, I won't know. But sometimes, if the little one fell down and hurt 'is knee and Dario is helping 'im up, ah wonder what it would be like."

"I, too, am an only child," said Norris. He sighed. The Porre youth bit his lip as he continued to stare at the wound. That huge x-mark. . . such an ugly mark on such a young face. The deepness of the wound, and how it had been pulled at. Norris knew what the end result would be. "That wound is going to leave a scar."

"No it won't!" Karsh snapped. "It'll heal and he'll be fine!"

"Yes, it will heal but it will leave a scar," said Norris. "It's deep. Very deep. The skin was pulled apart and even now a scar is beginning to set in. Karsh, that mark is never going to go away- ten years from now it'll still be there. Twenty years, thirty years- it's there for the rest of his life, Karsh."

"Why are ye saying that?" asked Karsh, looking somewhat upset.

"Look at him," said Norris. "Just because his father works for an army that my people are going to go to way with, they hurt him! He's just a child! He's done no harm! Well, not yet, but he's just a kid!" He calmed himself, knowing that if his mother woke he'd have it given to him for sure. "Karsh, my father did this to him. My own father. How would you feel if you learned your father did that to a little boy from Porre? Tricked him, kidnapped him, and tortured him like that?"

Karsh bit his lip. He hadn't seen it that way. _Looks like Norris is going to have some scars to deal with as well. His father is a cold hearted bastard and he has to deal with THAT for the rest of his life- people can look past a scar and after a few years Glenn may even stop noticing it and just accept it, but poor Norris . . .._ "Ah think ah understand."

"No, you don't," said Norris.

"Well, ah think ah see what ye mean, though yet probably right- ah probably dunt understand it at all and ah can only imagine what you and the little one are going through right now. When he realizes that scar will ne'er go away, he'll be devastated. Ye must be going through a world of emotional turmoil, Norris," said Karsh, scratching his head. "Sort of."

"I'll give you that one," said Norris. He sighed. "You know, like it or not, I'll probably be in the Porre military. If you don't enlist, you'll probably be drafted if you pass the physical examination. Very few escape it. And your dads are Devas- you'll all grow up to be Dragoons, I know it." He looked down. "One day we'll be enemies. And I don't want that."

"Hmm?" asked Karsh.

Norris let a small smile cross his face. "You guys are nice, and Glenn seems like a real good kid. If it weren't for the stupid war, we might even be able to be friends. But no. That can't ever happen." Norris sighed heavily. "As long as the Porre military keeps doing this, we're all doomed."

"Why dunt ye change that?" asked Karsh.

"Hmm?" asked Norris.

"Make yer way through the ranks and try ta halt the war," said Karsh. "It'll save lives."

"Save lives," Norris said slowly. He shook his head. "Unless I get into some really high rank, that won't happen," he said. "I'll probably be a mindless foot soldier." He felt tears coming on. "It never scared me before now, Karsh. I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to hurt innocent people. I, I'm afraid I'll become. . . him."

At first Karsh wasn't sure what he meant, but once he realized what Norris meant, he shook his head vigorously. "No ye won't!" he said. "Ye showed us that ye have morals, Norris. If ye ever find yerself evening leaning towards that path, just remember Glenn. Ye heard his screams and ye have seen what they've done to him." Karsh looked back out the window. "Thanks ta yer dad he as less innocence than Dario and ah do, and we've gotten into a lot of trouble in our time. He knows the spoils of war now. Even Dario and ah know a bit, but he's living it."

"I know," said Norris. He looked at Karsh. "I'd suggest you get some sleep. We're be out of here shortly before dawn. I'll get you as far as Zenan Bridge, but I can't go any farther than that or else I'll be in trouble with the bastard." Karsh's face paled. He'd just called his own father a bastard?

"Ye called yer father-"

"That man isn't my father," Norris said simply as he crawled into his bed. "I have no father."

* * *

Daylight began to break over the Zenan Mainland, waking many of it's people, whether they be in Porre or Guardia. Some had been long awake, baking breads and preparing morning deliveries that would fulfill their livelihoods while others were just up to witness the big orange ball climb high into the sky.

Four young boys were nearly on the outskirts of Porre. Norris was in the lead, the figures all hidden under cloaks to hide their identities as they made their escape. Dario kept close to his brother, almost constantly reminding the younger boy that they were almost home free. Karsh was running on Glenn's other side in an attempt to make the boy feel safer.

"There!" Norris announced. The group stopped, seeing the outskirts of the city just ahead of them. He laughed brightly. "You guys are almost home free!" He turned to Glenn and knelt down to his level. "Don't worry, you'll be home soon. You'll be back with your dear old dad and out of this hell hole."

"What about you, Norris? Aren't you coming, too?" asked Glenn.

Norris shook his head. "No," he said. "My place is here."

"But that man Curtis is here!" said Glenn, looking concerned. "He's bad!"

"Uh, Glenn, I don't know how to tell you this but-" Dario started.

"But what, Dario? I don't know any Curtis," said Norris coldly.

Karsh gave Dario a knowing look. Dario shut his mouth, catching the drift. Glenn would be happier now knowing who Norris was in relation to his kidnapper. They weren't sure how the boy would handle such information, and they didn't want to risk a negative reaction- he was traumatized enough as he was.

With that done, the boys began to run for the exit. Once they were out of Porre, they were much, much safer. This city would do them no good- it had done Glenn no good and Norris knew that something worse would happen to Karsh and Dario is they were captured. Perhaps the three of them would die. _Even I might die._

Just as they reached the city limit, they heard the clicking sound of a cocked gun. All four boys jolted to a stop, nearly crashing into each other. Norris turned his head to see his father pointing a gun at the boys. "I don't know who three of you are, but I know that little Glenn is with you."

Dario growled, turned to Curtis, and lowered his hood. "You're a bastard, you know that? What did Glenn ever do to you?" asked the elder brother. "He's only five years old. He's done you no harm. He has NOTHING to do with any sort of a war effort and you know it, yet you tricked him off the boat and you hurt him!" Dario pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're hardly a man! You're a shallow, cowardly weakling!"

Curtis chuckled. "You must be Dario, Glenn's older brother. I'm surprised you went after him- you, too, are a young boy. Too big to try and infiltrate a military power like Porre on your own with your two little friends. Too bad, because now we'll be going back to the complex where I can promise the three of you that you'll be punished."

"Ye can kiss me ass before ye do that!" said Karsh, lowering his hood as well. He placed his hand on his hip and eyed the man before him. "Dario is right- yer a bastard, all right!" He clenched his fists closed. "Just so ye know, the Dragoons didn't come here to make plans fer a war- we came here to try and stop a war from starting."

"He's right- if you go through with this war then thousands of innocent people will die," said Dario.

"I don't care about them- we will find the Frozen Flame and rule this world," said Curtis. "None of you have any idea what the Frozen Flame can do, do you? It's the most sacred treasure in the entire world and we, the people of Porre, will have it whether you brats like it or not!"

Norris bit his lip. He didn't want to lower his hood like his two friends had- he'd be tried for treason- his father damn well knew who he was. Karsh and Dario weren't from Porre and couldn't be tried like he'd be tried. What was he going to do? Norris inched his way behind Glenn, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. He had to do something to save his friends!

"Yer a bastard and you know it!" said Karsh.

Norris got an idea. While Dario and Karsh kept his father busy, he could at least get Glenn out of Porre and maybe even as far as Guardia Castle. But could he sacrifice Dario and Karsh to do it? He looked at Dario, who gave him a look. "Get Glenn out of here- we'll be fine," he hushed in a low whisper while Karsh continued to trash out Curtis. He then turned to the Porre commander. "You're a yellow-bellied son of a bitch who's going to rot in hell!" Glenn's eyes widened- last time Dario had used even ONE of those words his dad had stuck a bar of soap in his mouth. He was REALLY angry!

While Dario and Karsh kept Curtis' attention off of Glenn and his son, Norris took the little boy's hand and started to run. He looked behind him, seeing his father still hadn't noticed their departure. Glenn whimpered in slight protest, reaching out for his brother. "Relax, Glenn, they said they'd be fine," said Norris. "Dario wanted me to get you out of here!"

"But what about Dario?" asked Glenn.

"Have a little faith in him," said Norris. They were now running through a grassy field, making a break for Fiona's Forest. Once they were in the thicket, then they'd be able to hide long enough for Dario and Karsh to get out. Norris could see the woods ahead of him and began to run faster, still dragging Glenn along with him.

"Yer a smelly bastard!"

"Would you two just shut up?" said Curtis. "Just admit it- I won and you lost."

Dario looked behind him, and grinned. "Then where's Glenn?"

Curtis paled. "THAT LITTLE BRAT GOT AWAY?"

"Had ye not spent so much time arguing with us ye might still have 'im," said Karsh.

The Porre commander sneered, raising his gun again. "You two die now."

The two boys paled and screamed. He was going to shoot them! They were going to die! Dario closed his eyes, waiting for the worst. _Well. . . at least Glenn got away. . . I saved him. . . he and Norris are probably far enough from here by now that they'll be okay. At least, I hope so._

Karsh stared at the gun. He needed an idea fast or else he and Dario were either going to get their brains blown out or Curtis would ensure the two of them meet some other death. He gulped. He had to think or else. . . he could ever chase after Glenn if he wasn't careful!

Karsh moved his hand to his pocket, trying to find anything that might be useful. He discreetly put his hand into the pocket, something clicking in his brain as he felt something. He tried to determine what it was, and mentally smiled to himself as he realized what it was. His mother would kill him if she found out he had one, but it might just save his and Dario's life.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Curtis, eyeing Karsh suspiciously.

Karsh grinned as he took a brief pose, his body surrounded by a green aura. Curtis blinked, not sure what was going. Karsh then shot his hand forward. The commander felt the ground beneath him shake slightly. Before he could react, he was suddenly trapped in a thorny bush that had suddenly shot up from the ground. In surprise, he dropped his gun.

"That. . . was a BushBasher," said Karsh. He turned to Dario, who looked slightly irritated as he looked for an explanation. "What? Ah borrowed it from Radius." Dario's look didn't falter. "Okay, okay, so 'e doesn't know ah borrowed it, ah admit it, all right? Happy? Let's go before he gets out of there and takes revenge."

Dario nodded and the two ran off. Karsh was pleased with himself for his escape route- he wasn't really sure it would work, but somehow he'd been able to stop the bush from sinking back into the earth and stay up, trapping their adversary. Sure when the adults found out he'd be a dead man, but at least they were all right until his parents got word of it.

Curtis was swearing at them from his trapped position. "You little brats haven't won yet! I'll find you all and kill you one by one! You don't believe me? I promise you that your lives will end! You won't get away with this upset! I am a Commander in the Porre Military! You hear me? I WILL FIND YOU!"

Neither of the boys stopped to look back.


	10. Chapter Nine

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Nine: Scarred For Life

"Are they coming?" asked Glenn. Norris had made the younger boy sit behind a bush to shield him from searching eyes. He shook his head, still seeing no sign of the other fleeing boys. "Did that bad man take them away?" Norris turned to Glenn and shrugged. The little boy frowned, still holding his face in his hand.

"I don't know- here they come now!" said Norris. Glenn instantly cheered as he saw his brother and Karsh come into their line of vision, both rushing towards the woods. Dario gave his younger brother a hug while Karsh looked at Norris, a serious expression on his face. Once Dario was finished with checking on Glenn to make sure he was all right, the boys had a quick meeting.

"We need a place to hide in case we can't get back to Guardia before Curtis finds us," said Dario. He turned to Norris. "We obviously aren't from around here. You are. Do you have any idea where we might be able to hide from them safely in case that happens?"

"Uh, Dario, ah hate to break this ta ye but, they ARE coming," said Karsh.

Norris bit his lip. "There's a sanctuary in the middle of the forest dedicated to the woman and strange creature who saved it," said the Porre boy. "The nuns there will help us out- I know them well." He took Glenn's hand and started to sprint, making sure that Dario and Karsh were behind him.

Norris and Glenn began to dart through the woods, the former leading the way as the latter kept a hand on the injured cheek. Norris chose his path wisely, finding wholes and crevices through the low tree branches that Karsh or Dario would be able to pass through quickly. He could hear Glenn's quickened breathing behind him- hopefully he wasn't running the kid out of breath.

Soon enough, the small church could be seen. Norris made a beeline for the front door and opened it, ushering Glenn in. Dario and Karsh emerged shortly after, the sounds of several very angry soldiers in the background. His two comrades scrambled inside and Norris closed the door.

A very stunned looking nun was giving them an odd stare.

"What is going on here, Norris? Who are these young men with you and-" she asked. The sister gasped, rushing to inspect Glenn's injury. He hid behind Dario, not liking the strange woman making a fuss over him. The sister turned to the Porre boy. "By the moons, what happened to this little one?"

Norris took in a deep breath. "Hide us, Gracie," he asked. "Please. One of the men in the army did this to him and we're afraid he wants to hurt him even more." The nun closed her eyes, turning her head to the door. Gracie nodded and led them to a door. The boys followed without question, Dario glancing back at the front door every so often. The woman opened what looked like a large storage closet. All four boys scrambled in and Gracie closed the door. Dario held his brother tightly, none of the boys making a sound.

A minute passed before they could hear the sound of the door opening and slamming quickly. Irritated stomps filled the tiny church. Glenn whimpered slightly, yet managed to do it quietly. Karsh was breathing in very slow, deep breaths while Norris and Dario exchanged concerned looks. "Where are those little sons of-" The boys winced- it was Curtis.

"Do not speak those words in this sanctuary and do NOT bring firearms here, either!" they could hear the sister bellow. "Outside. Now. Leave your gun, and you may then return. I will not allow symbols of war in this shrine under any circumstances, Porre soldier or not."

"Sister Gracie," they heard their pursuer say, "I am looking for four boys who ran into the woods- I believe they are runaways and I would like to return them home safely." Dario held back a growl. _You liar- you want to bring us back to that torture chamber so you can torture the three of us!_

_Please don't turn us in,_ Norris pleaded.

Gracie declined once again. "Commander Curtis, this is nonsense. When children run away it is best for them to see for themselves that they need to return home and not force them home. If you drag them back to Porre they'll try to run away again. When they get hungry they'll come back running, now you go on back home, you hear me? Go home."

"But these boys-"

"Go home."

Curtis did not argue with the sister on the matter but he was not finished. "Listen, Sister. I am NOT leaving these woods without those boys, with or without your help. Do you hear me? I'm not leaving," he said. Curtis snarled. "You have no idea who you're messing with, missy."

"Oh? Well is that so, Commander? I have to say this to you- I don't believe a word you're saying for a minute. If it were runaways, why are you the only one here? I would have that your general would have sent out at least a team of six or seven men. I also know that you have quite a temper and any boys who are in these woods may have a good reason to run from you. Now, if they are truly runaways you will return to Porre, find more men, and THEN you may search these woods as long as you please. Do you understand ME?"

Norris smiled. _Go Gracie!_

"Fine. I'll be back." With that, more footsteps and a slamming door were heard.

After several minutes, the sister opened the door to the closet. "Go out the back door. Quickly- I do not trust that man and I did not want to bring harm to boys who have obviously already met harm," she said, resting a soft finger above Glenn's injury. "Now go before he becomes suspicious."

All four boys nodded, thanking the sister graciously for saving their lives (Norris adding an extra thank you and a promise for an much deserved explanation later) before finding the aforementioned back door and leaving through it. After finding a somewhat cleared path that wouldn't make too much noise from branches and sticks, they started back towards Guardia Castle.

* * *

"This must be Zenan Bridge," said Norris. It was now near noon and the boys had spent several hours walking towards their destination, only to stop long enough to eat off of a tree that Norris recognized as one that bore not-poisonous fruit. They were then at the southern end of the bridge that separated the north and southern halves of the continent. Guardia Castle was in sight.

"It is," said Dario. He turned to his comrade. "Haven't you been here before?"

"No," he said, looking at the castle in amazement. "I've never been this far from Porre before. I've played in the forest before with some of my other friends, but. . . I've never gone out this far- I wouldn't be allowed." Norris turned to the others and smiled brightly. "Thank you," he said.

"Fer what?" asked Karsh.

"I haven't had this much excitement for a long time," he said. "I'm grounded, remember?"

"But we owe you!" said Dario. He put a hand on Glenn's shoulder, causing the younger boy to look up. "You saved my little brother's life- if we hadn't intervened when we did, he would've been in even worse shape. He might be hurt but he's going to be okay thanks to you. And you helped us out even when you thought we might've been lying about it."

Norris turned to Glenn. "I didn't help him at all. I didn't get you there in time," he said. He bent over to look at Glenn better. "Glenn, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that wound is going to be there for a very long time. I don't know what my fa- Curtis did to you to make it worse but it's very deep and was messed with."

"He pulled at my face after he cut me," he said. But he smiled. "Don't worry, Norris. You're not a bad person like your dad is." All three boys stopped. They hadn't told Glenn he was Curtis' son. "It's okay. I figured it out when I thought they looked a little alike and he made that comment about being nothing to him. He was disowning him."

"Smart kid," Karsh mumbled.

Norris looked back towards the path they'd come down. "I may be his son. His blood may be running through my veins and I might even look a little like him, but I'm not him." He turned his head to Guardia. "Maybe one day I'll change the way Porre has been acting if they don't brainwash their ways into my head first. Who knows? We may make peace one day."

"Those are very noble words," said Dario, extending a hand to Norris. He grinned. "Friends?"

Norris stared at the hand in astonishment. "Friends?" he asked.

"Ye helped us out there, Norris. That's a friend to me," said Karsh.

"You saved me," said Glenn. "Even if your dad IS a meat head."

Dario raised an eyebrow, not sure what his brother meant by "meat head". _I'll let it slide this time, but not next time. What does "meat head" mean and where did he pick it up, anyways?_ All four boys extended a hand and made a somewhat clumsy four-way handshake. They laughed backed away, then looked towards the castle again. Soon, they'd be parting ways.

"Ye know. . . I dunt want ta hurt ye on the battlefield, Norris," said Karsh. "But ah have to someday."

"Who says?" Dario commented. The other three gave him a look. "We're all friends now, right? We helped each other out and went through something together. I say we agree not raise sword, ax, nor gun barrel to those who stand here now. It's the least we can do, perhaps the only thing we can do."

Norris nodded. "I worked too hard saving your butts to throw them away over a stupid war."

"An' we're indebted to ye," said Karsh.

"So it's settled," said Dario. "We don't hurt each other, and, if we feel it necessary, maybe even heal each other on the battlefield. Leaving someone dead and dying is almost as bad as shooting them or running them through with a weapon." The other three nodded.

Karsh held up a hand. "Ahm sorry ta say this, but dunt think we'll spare yer father."

"I don't expect you to," said Norris. "It will hurt my mother, but not me."

Dario narrowed his eyes. "Don't be surprised if you hear someone that meets my description killed him in battle, because I promise you this- if I see him, it'll be the end for him. I don't care how many bullets he may lay to rest in my body, but I will NOT spare that man's life. He's hurt Glenn enough- I don't want to think about the possibility of him doing it again."

Norris sighed, then proceeded to give them each a hug, spending just a few seconds extra with Glenn, the one he'd risked his life to save. _I hardly know any of them, and yet I fell as if I am loosing the closest friends I will ever receive. How strange for such a thing to happen,_ Norris thought to himself. He smiled at Glenn. _He'll be okay. He might be a little on the small side now, but he'll grow._

"It'll be years before I see any of you again, if at all," said Norris. He sniffled, wiping away some tears that were forming. "I now understand that the people I'll be fighting one day aren't at all different from me in any way. I bid you the best of luck in life. Good bye, my friends." He then turned to walk away. The boy turned once more to take one final look, began to walk backwards, then turned on his heels to sprint into the forest.

"Good bye, Norris," said Dario. He smiled, cupping his hands over his mouth. "And thank you! We won't forget this!" Dario put a hand on his younger brother's shoulder and looked over at Karsh. "Well boys, I think I know where we need to go now. It's finally over. Glenn's safe and things might get back to normal now. Let's head back to the castle."

* * *

Riddel watched as the adults talked in the throne room about her three missing friends. She sniffled worried for them. Before Garai and Zappa had brought their sons to the castle, she hadn't had any friends. She'd spent the first years of her life alone amongst pets and dolls her father had bought her, but she longed for other children to play with her.

She remembered the day she'd met them very well. She'd been out playing by the stables when she heard something. Riddel, then seven, had watched as a ball bounced to a stop next to her on the grass. She looked up and saw a blonde boy just a few years older than she was run over to get it. He'd stopped to look at her, offered a hand to her, and asked if she wanted to play with them, offering the name Dario. Riddel accepted, and her new friend led her to his friend, Karsh, and his little brother, Glenn, who was still very much a toddler. Karsh had questioned Dario for bringing a girl to play with then while Glenn had just waved cheerfully, getting her warmly in a way that only little kids can greet someone.

But now they were gone.

The previous day had been spent searching through the city of Truce and parts of Fiona's Forest, but no trace had been found of the boys. Assuming that the searchers had done a thorough job of searching, that left the rest of the forest and, in the worst case, Porre. If they were in Porre, it wasn't likely they'd find the boys alive.

Riddel sighed heavily and left the throne room, opting to sit on the steps that lead from the front doors to the throne room. She rested her elbows on her knees and his chin in her hands, sniffling. She didn't want them to leave her! They were the only friends she'd ever had!

She heard the doors opening and looked up in hope. A familiar purple head poked inside, smiling. "Hey, Riddel!" Karsh said. "Did ye miss us?" Riddel cried out in joy as she ran to meet her friend, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. When she spotted Dario, she gave him a kiss on the lips, making sure to make it last a bit longer than the one she'd given Karsh. They were back! They were safe!

She looked for Glenn and saw him looking around in amazement, his right side facing her when she spotted him. She knelt down to him and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you're all okay!" she said, then turned Glenn's head to look at him. Riddel nearly screamed when she saw the wound on his face and stumbled backwards. "Glenn!" she cried out. "What happened to you?"

By now the adults had gotten curious as to what the racket was all about. Once they saw the three boys they all breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Zappa and Zippa ran to smoother their son in a hug while Garai wrapped his arms around both of his boys at the same time. Glenn's injured cheek brushed against the armor and his winced. "Daddy!" he cried, instinctively bringing a hand to cover the wound.

Garai pulled away and looked at his son. Carefully, he pried the little boy's finger from his face. Glenn whimpered, afraid of what his father would do. Garai's eyes widened and his chin dropped in shock. Dario bit his bottom lip. "Glenn, what happened to your face!" he asked. He turned to his elder son and his purple haired friend. "Dario? Karsh? What in the name of the ancient Dragonians happened to him?"

The Guardia Queen bit her bottom lip. "Who did that to you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," said Glenn, shying behind Dario as he tried to cover the scar.

Zappa snorted. "Oh yes ye boys will- dunt expect ta disappear for thirty-six hours and come back with an injury like THAT!" he said. He folded his arms. "Ye had us all worried sick about you boys! Where did ye go and why did ye go?" All three boys looked at the ground in some shame.

"That's not important," said Viper. "Obviously they've been through a lot and they've probably been punished enough as it is, especially poor Glenn- I've yet to see a wound that bad that hasn't left a scar, and there it is, right where everyone can see it." He turned to the boys. "Tell us what happened. We do not want to punish you any further than you have been."

Dario and Karsh exchanged looks, then told them the entire story from their perspective, Glenn adding in the details from his own view. The boys did, however, leave out all details on Norris to protect the safety of their friend, referring to him only as "the kid we met in Porre". When the adults inquired about his name, Karsh lied and said they didn't know what his name was. Riddel noticed Garai subtly grip the hilt of the Einlanzer, tapping at it with his fingers. _He's really mad at that Curtis man_, she thought to herself as she absorbed the story she was being told.

Viper bit his lip. "I can't say I'm pleased with you, Glenn for going with that man and I'm even less pleased with Dario and Karsh for not only sneaking off the ship but for following that man. They should have gone back for help or dragged him away from that miserable excuse for a human being. But what's done is done. There's nothing we can do to change that and I don't believe there's a need for a punishment- you've been punished enough."

Garai turned to Viper. "I would recommend sending the children back to El Nido before something else happens. This was a bad idea to begin with. We should have never brought them with us and I think we can all see the consequences of our actions. This is partially our fault."

"I agree," said Viper. He turned to Zippa. "Will you escort the boys home?"

Zippa nodded. "Will do, me lord," she said.

"I'll arrange for a ship to bring the five of you back to El Nido," said the King. "I shall send an escort with them who will then report back to me to assure us that they returned back. This escort will be a trusted someone who had been working for Guardia for many years and is most assuredly NOT a Porre assassin." The adults agreed on this, and before the day was out, the children and Zippa found themselves on a ship bound for Termina.

* * *

Glenn sat on the deck of the ship in the same spot where he'd met that horrible man. The wound had long stopped bleeding, but it was still tender and had been nursing it since their return to Guardia. It was now very late at night and he knew he should have been in bed, but he wasn't very tired. He had a lot to think about.

Everyone said that the mark on his face was going to scar. At first, he didn't know what it meant, but then Zappa explained it to him, showing Glenn his own scar. That had upset him greatly and Zippa whacked her husband for his slightly insensitive way of telling Glenn what he would have to deal with for the rest of his life. Zippa had then given him a much nicer explanation, saying that while yes, he would have the x on his face for a very long time, it wouldn't matter to any of his friends and family because to them he was still good ol' Glenn to them.

"Eventually it may fade a way just a wee bit, but it will adorn yer face for the remainder of yer life, little one," she had said, holding him close to her, much like his own mother would have done. "Yer a stronger little one- I'm sure ye'll turn out all right and one day ye'll be a great Dragoon just like yer father."

And there was Curtis. He was afraid that Curtis would hunt him down and hurt him again, although his father had assured him he wouldn't let than happen, as did Zappa and Viper. Zippa even said that Radius would keep an eye out for him as well when they got back to Termina and the old Dragoon Deva saw what had happened. That made Glenn feel a little better, but he was still frightened of the prospect.

"You should be in bed, Glenn."

Glenn turned his head to see Dario coming up behind him. Dario sat beside him and the two brothers looked up at the stars together. Dario put an arm around his brother's shoulder, pulling the small boy closer. "Dario," said Glenn. "I'm glad you came to rescue me. Thank you."

"Of course I would. You're the only little brother I'll have unless Dad remarries," said Dario. Glenn blinked in confusion. Dario laughed, scratching the back of his head as his cheeks turned a slight red color. "I'll explain it to you when you're older- Dad'll kill me if I tell you right now. Just accept that it'll be me, you, and Dad in the family for a very long time to come. And of course Karsh's family and the General and Riddel and Radius, too."

"I don't get why you're talking about that," said Glenn.

"Because I want you to know that there are a lot of people who love you very much, scar or no scar," said Dario, giving his brother a tight squeeze. "I don't want anyone to hurt you ever again, you hear me? As your big brother I'm the only one allowed to rough you up, got it?"

"Meanie!" said Glenn, making a face at his brother for the last comment. Then, he smiled. "Thank you for protecting me, Dario. I don't want to get hurt like that again- this stupid scar is ugly!" The little boy put his hand over the wound again. "The other kids will made fun of me."

"No they won't," said Dario.

"Yes they will!" said Glenn, his eyes beginning to tear. "I've looked in a mirror! I know what it looks like! None of the other kids have something like this stupid thing on their faces and you know it, Dario! I'm going to get made fun of even more than that kid with the bucket on his head!"

Dario bit his lip. "The guy who talks loud, right?"

"Dario!" said Glenn, breaking down into his brother's shoulder. "I don't wanna be different! I wanna go back to the way it was! I want to be a happy family again! I want mommy back! I want this scar to go away! I want to grow up to be a Dragoon and save Termina! I'm ugly!"

"You're not ugly, Glenn," said Dario. He held his brother tightly. "It isn't that bad at all. You still have both of your eyes and your ears and your tongue- Curtis only made a nasty incision, but he didn't cut anything off or disable you. You're still my little brother scar or no scar. Besides, you'll always have me, Karsh, and Riddel as your friends- you might be a lot younger than us, but you're still our friend."

Glenn sniffled, wiping his tears away. "Do you mean that, Dario?"

Dario sighed. "You're a good kid, Glenn, and I'm glad you're my little brother."

"I'm glad you're my big brother, Dario. . ."


	11. Chapter Ten

Memories

By Dixxy

Chapter Ten: Angel in the Night

Radius walked around the hallways of Viper Manor, bowing and nodding to those he passed to acknowledge them. He always tried to recognize even the lowliest of the men, which had earned him a great deal of respect from his minors and his superiors. It would be some time before the General returned and until then he and-

"RREEEEEOOOOOOORRRRRRRWWWWWWWW!"

"Stupid cats," Radius grumbled as he watched the two kitchen cats scamper off after a rather large bug. He scratched his head, wondering where the bug had come from. He sincerely hoped it hadn't been the kitchen. _Maybe it was from the sewers. Still, not very appetizing. . ._ he mused.

-would be in charge of the affairs at the manor.

A private walked up to him, bowing his head. "Radius, Lady Zippa and the children have returned to the manor," he said. Radius raised an eyebrow in curiosity, leaning on his cane as he listened to the private. "Something seemed very wrong. The little one was asleep in Lady Zippa's arms and the other three seemed worried- the boys were acting like her bodyguards and Miss Riddel was hanging onto Dario's shoulder."

Radius scratched his bearded chin. _While it certainly isn't odd for Riddel to be clinging to Dario like that, what with her little puppy crush on him, but the whole scenario does seem strange. Why would Zippa be carrying Glenn? And why are Dario and Karsh acting so protective? _"May I see them?"

The private nodded. "I sent them to Zappa's room." The Deva nodded and proceeded towards the stairs that would lead him to the newly arrived guests to the manor. _I certainly hope that the General, Garai, and Zappa are all right,_ Radius thought to himself as he ascended to the main level of the manor.

He reached the room Zappa slept in during his stays at the manor. He heard quiet footsteps and bowed as Zippa opened the door. "Good day, Radius. Top of the evening, to ye. What brings ye here at this hour?" she asked politely, stepping aside to let the man into the room. Dario was sitting over Glenn, who was fast asleep. Riddel was playing with a doll. Karsh had taken his ponytail down and was brushing through his hair.

"Why have you returned so early?" he asked.

"I wanted them to a spend a night here to make them feel safe. Something happened back in Guardia and all of them are a wee bit shaken- being within the walls of Viper Manor should make them feel a little safer than if I were to bring them to either mine or Garai's home," Zippa stated.

"Why?" asked Radius. "What happened."

"It's Glenn," said Zippa. "Take a look fer yerself, Radius."

Nervously, the Deva walked over to where Glenn was lying. Radius swallowed hard when he saw the wound and knelt down, gazing at it in astonishment. He looked up at Zippa. "How did this happen?" he asked. "That. . . that's going to leave a scar! He's never going to be the same again!"

"Yes he will," Dario said through gritted teeth. Normally he treated all the Devas with respect but Radius had just managed to push a whole new set of buttons that had been formed when Glenn had been hurt. "He's upset enough as it is- tell him that and I'll sic Dad after you. He was practically crying on the boat ride home. He thinks his life is practically over now because of it."

Zippa pulled two chairs across from each other and sat Radius down, quietly giving him the details. The Deva kept looking forlornly at the small child, who had since rolled over. Despite the scar, he still looked somewhat young and innocent, though Radius knew the truth as the story went further along- that Porre commander had done something horrible to that child and he would be changed no matter what Dario said. _He's in denial,_ Radius thought. _He's going to try to do everything he can to get Glenn to grow up normally but that will never happen, now. The other children are going to be frightened of him._

After hearing the story, Radius cleared his throat. "What is done is done," he said. He moved over to where Glenn was sleeping, gently tousling the boy's hair. "Seems as if you children had a bigger adventure than you expected, didn't you?" All three boys nodded after Riddel quipped that she really hadn't been involved. "Just be careful next time you go adventuring."

"What are we gonna do, Radius? Go challenge the Dragon Gods, ah suppose?" said Karsh, snorting a laugh. "We've 'ad enough excitement to last us until we're old enough to enlist." He stood, brushing himself off. "Ah need ta use the bathroom- ahll be back, so dunt wait up fer me." Zippa rolled her eyes at her son, getting a "what?" out of the boy before he left.

"I suggest you children get some sleep- it's late and you need your sleep to grow," said Radius. He turned to the younger female. "Riddel? Your room is available if you wish to spend the night there. I'll send for an extra nanny if you feel unsafe." Riddel stood to leave, saying she'd be all right with only one of her nurse maids. She gave her two friends kisses before leaving for her room, bidding them all good night.

"Zippa?"

"I'll be fine taking the boys," she said. Radius nodded, leaving after giving his own good night wishes. Zippa tucked Dario and Glenn into one of the beds, Dario holding his little brother tightly. She sighed, gently stroking each other their heads. "Yer mother would have been heartbroken if she saw Glenn like this," she said. "But she'd still love you."

"Thank you, Zippa," said Dario. "Good night."

"G'night," said Glenn, yawning as he relaxed into the safety of his brother's arms.

"Sweet dreams, little ones."

* * *

Several days had passed, and Dario and Glenn were sleeping in their own tiny cabin. The younger boy was looking out the window, cradling himself as he rocked on his heels. Dario sighed heavily. "Glenn, nothing is going to happen. Zippa is right next door if we need anything."

"I'm not afraid," he said.

Dario shrugged. "Getting ready for bed?"

"No."

"Glenn, you need to get some sleep."

"I'm not sleepy."

Dario chuckled. "You sure?"

"Uh huh. I'll go to bed when I'm ready," he said. Dario shrugged, climbing into his bed. He blew out the candle that lit the one room cabin and Glenn could soon hear his brother softly sawing logs. He smiled- even as loud as Dario's snoring was, it comforted him to hear that.

Checking to ensure that Dario would not wake up, Glenn padded over to a wooden box on the sole desk in the cabin. He opened it, taking out the only object inside- his mother's Memento Pendant. Glenn held it close to his chest, looking for comfort from the one person who truly wanted comfort from but could never receive it from. The pendant was the last thing he had to remember her by.

"Mommy. . ." he said softly. I sat down at the foot of his bed and put the pendant in his lap. "Daddy says that you can see me from up above in the sky. If that's true, then can you see me now? Can you see my scar?" He winced slightly. "I miss you mommy. I cried out for you when that bad man gave me the scar, but you're gone."

Glenn looked out the window, where he saw the two moons shining down on the land. The little boy stood up and walked to the window, sitting in the chair by the desk. He slipped the pendant around his neck, clutching it with one hand and his scar in the other. Glenn gazed up at the sky, feeling tears streak down his face. _No. . ._

His mother had been the most important person in his life. She had always taken care of him whenever he was sick and scolded Dario and Karsh whenever they were mean to him. She gave him hugs and kisses when he was scared and sang him lullabies to get him to go to sleep. She never wanted to hurt anyone and was well liked by everyone in Termina. Glenn thought she was pretty, too- she had very silky smooth blonde hair and soft blue eyes. Her innate color had been White, just like his father's color, and she always joked about her Black and Green sons.

Her death had been very sudden and unexpected. Shortly after Dario's twelfth birthday, she had been with her two sons running errands in Termina when she suddenly collapsed. Dario had screamed for help while Glenn had nearly panicked, not having the half a clue that his brother had. She was immediately rushed back home and a doctor had been called. His father had been away at the time but had been immediately called back home.

The doctor, an old medicine woman, was unable to determine what had caused the young woman to collapse. She had been in almost as good of a shape as her husband was in, what from trying to keep up with two young boys, and was a well-known source for healing herbs and spices. There was nothing to possibly give a clue as to what caused her sudden illness.

His mother had been barely awake for the next several days, and when she was she hadn't been able to do much more than just barely lift a hand. Her husband was always holding on hand, her sons on the other side. With what little strength she had, she comforted her family, especially her children. She knew her time had come, yet she had not feared her death- she was more concerned for the well-being of her husband and her boys.

Dario and Glenn were the only ones with her when she finally did die- Garai had gone to collect water for her to drink and possibly convince the boys to take a bath. She had opened her eyes one last time, wishing for Dario to tell Garai that she loved him, and that she loved them both. She requested that they all took care of each other and stuck together as long as they could. She reached up to touch Glenn's cheek- ironically enough the one that was now scarred- and then closed her eyes, the hand falling lifelessly to the bedspread. Glenn didn't understand what had happened, but Dario had and was in crying hysterics. The younger boy then realized that she had died and joined his brother in crying.

Apon her request, she had been buried at sea, her body being forever lost to the waves as her surviving family watched the lifeless form slowly sink below the waves. Glenn had remembered the moment well- he had begun crying again, reaching out for the waves as he began screaming for her not to leave him. How could anyone possibly hold him back? He had just lost his mother.

_I never knew why you left me, Mommy,_ Glenn thought to himself. _You were too young and pretty to die. And you were my mommy and Dario's mommy! Daddy was really sad when you left us, too. I hadn't ever seen him that upset, not even when I went out onto the Bluffs or even when I got my scar. I'm scared, Mommy. I don't want to be scared anymore. I wish you were still here with me._

Somewhat satisfied with his crying, Glenn stood up again. He walked back over the box, debating if he should put the pendant back inside. He'd nearly lost it once, but then again, he didn't feel up to going out as of late- the only traveling he's done had been from the docks to Viper Manor, and then his house a few days later. He had only just set foot in the front yard that morning. _I don't think Dario would mind,_ he thought.

As Glenn was about to close the box, his eyes spied something. Folded neatly at the bottom of the bow were two pale lavender ribbons. Glenn hadn't noticed them before- they had been his mother's. Glenn could hardly remember a day that she didn't wear them in her hair. When he was very small, he had watched her braiding the longer of the two ribbons into her very long hair, other times using the shorter ribbons to just tie in a simple bow. Glenn picked up the shorter ribbon, watching it slowly unfold. He held it up to his face, sniffling.

His nose caught a familiar scent.

Thinking it might've been a little silly, Glenn held the ribbon up to his nose and smelled it. His eyes welled up again- they still carried the smell his mother had. That smell was something that Glenn loved. His mother always seemed to have a definite scent of strawberries, one of her favorite foods. He had always associated the food and its properties with his mother because of this.

Glenn nuzzled the ribbon, wanting to get closer to his mother, as close as he could. Leaving the longer ribbon in the box, the small boy finally decided it was, indeed, time for him to go to bed. Still wearing the pendant and now carrying the ribbon, he climbed under the sheets and tried to sleep.

* * *

_Glenn looked around. He was surrounded by white on all sides, and he could find no separation from the ground and the sky, yet he felt something hard and solid under foot. He looked down and saw himself fully dressed, the Memento Pendant around his neck and the ribbon in his hand. In the distance he could hear a voice beckoning him closer. Nervous, he found himself walking forward._

_ Ahead of him he saw someone with big white wings sitting on a rock. Glenn stepped closer, curious who this person was. The person stood, and slowly turned around. A very familiar face smiled at Glenn, and he stopped short with surprise. The person laughed, walking towards him. "Hello, my child. It has been a while."_

_ "Mommy?" Glenn asked quietly. His eyes began to water. "Mommy!" He threw himself into his mother's arms, crying hysterically. She came back to him! His daddy and Dario would be so happy to see her again! His mother soothed him, kissing his cheek and gently telling him to hush down. "Mommy. . . you came back to me! You came back!"_

_ His mother pulled her smallest into her lap, resting his head against her shoulder. "Not for long, my child," she said. Glenn looked up at her, ready to cry again. "Please don't cry, Glenn. I came to you because you were crying and because I didn't want to hear your cries of pain anymore- it hurts me to hear that."_

_Glenn nuzzled his mother's neck. "I'm scared, Mommy."_

_ "I know, my sweet," she said. "I heard your cries as you ran from the man and when you awoke in the prison cell. I heard your cries as you tried to escape and as you were captured. I heard you crying as that man hurt you and your cries when your father's affectionate brush against your wound irritated it. I heard your cries tonight. I saw it all, my child, and it hurt me deeply. There is no pain worse for a mother than watching her children suffer."_

_ "I'm still suffering, Mommy. I'm different now!" he said. "I have a scar now and it's really, really ugly! No one will want to play with me anymore!" Glenn sniffled. "I'm ugly." He briefly turned away. "Even you have to admit that, Mommy- I look different now and I'm ugly!"_

_ "No, my child. You may have learned from what happened and perhaps you've grown up just a little too much in too short of a time, but you are still my son. You are still your father's son. And you are still Dario's brother. You are still you. You are Glenn and nothing will ever change that," she said, stroking his hair gently. She kissed his forehead. He looked up at her, his tears slowly beginning to dry up. "I love you, my child, and I will always be with you wherever you go. A little bit of my heart, body, and soul lies within you and Dario as well. If you keep me in your heart and in your mind then I'll never truly be gone- I can live as long as you do if I can live in your memory, Glenn. Never forget that."_

_ The small boy felt his face, which, even in the dreamlike state, still bore the scar. "Are you mad at me for going with that man, Mommy? You and Daddy told me not to talk to strangers, but then again Daddy said that the people on the ship were all right but- I'm so confused, Mommy!"_

_ "It will be all right, Glenn. That man took advantage of your naiveté," she said. Glenn's mother looked at him sympathetically. "All I can say is that I hope you've learned something from this. You were very, very lucky that you were able to get out of there alive- Dario cares about you very much and by going to Porre, he proved it." The angel woman cradled her child, smiling as he began to calm down. "Everything will be just fine, my child. I promise you that. Everything will be just fine."_

_Glenn sniffled. "I still miss you, Mommy."_

_"And I miss you, too, little one," she said. "But it will be all right."_

_"Are you sure?" he asked._

_ His mother nodded, stroking his hair gently. "I know you'll grow up to be a fine young man someday. You'll find friends, and none of them will care about your scar. There will be children who will ridicule- I won't lie to you about that- but they don't look past it to see the true you. And you shouldn't care about them. Just try to find those who see you for you and you'll be fine, I promise you that."_

_"But how do I do that?" asked Glenn._

_ "Give it time," she said. Glenn's mother chuckled to herself, looking at her younger son's scar. "It's not so bad, I don't think. It will always carry bad memories, but you'll learn to leave the memories in the past. Memories can't hurt you, Glenn- memories are just records of the past and nothing more. Memories are gone- they won't happen again. Memories of sadness, sickness, and death fade away with time just as memories of joy, happiness and life do. Cherish the memories you hold dear to your heart, Glenn, and let go of the memories that hurt you."_

_ "How can I let go of them? I can't stop thinking about it," said Glenn. "It's there every morning when I look in the mirror! How can I forget about being kidnapped and being held prisoner and being cut up when I can see my scar? It's right there on my face and everyone's making a big fuss over it!"_

_ "You need to recall them now to help you heal," she said. "With time, everyone will begin to ignore it and just accept it as a part of you." Glenn's mother closed her eyes. "Think about it this way as well. I know my boys want to be Dragoons just like their father." She opened her eyes again. "If you find yourselves in the Acacia Dragoons someday, some of your fellow Dragoons will receive scars in everything from training sessions to full blown wars. You'll know how to deal with it by then and you can help them get over it."_

_"Really? I can help people?"_

_"Yes," she said. She looked up into the sky. "I must go now, Glenn."_

_"No! I don't want you to go!"_

_"But I must go. And you need to go home- Dario will be waiting for you."_

_"He will?" His mother nodded. "I guess this is good-bye. Again."_

_His mother smiled. "Remember. I'll always be with you in your heart."_

_ Glenn felt his eyes begin to tear as his mother stood, gently placing him on the ground. He sniffled, not wanting to do what he knew what was to come. He'd said good-bye to her once and he didn't want to do it again. But even at his young age, he knew it was time. His mother knelt down and her gently hugged her. "I love you, Mommy."_

_"I love you, too, Glenn. . ."

* * *

_

Dario woke up the next morning as the sun shone through the window. He yawned, tossed his legs over the side of the bed, and stretched. He looked over to see Glenn sleeping soundly. He smiled, sitting beside his baby brother as the smaller child continued to sleep. He looked at the still very red "x" on his face and frowned.

Then, he raised an eyebrow. Glenn had both the Memento Pendant and one of his mother's old hair ribbons. Dario sighed heavily. He missed his mother, too, but he didn't think anyone missed her as much as Glenn did. Glenn had been very close to his mother, always wanting to help her with the dishes, go shopping with her, and attempting to help her in the garden (though for a five year old he was pretty good at it, probably due to his innate color). It shouldn't have surprised Dario to see Glenn attaching himself to those items- that was as close as he felt he could get to her now.

Slowly, Dario slipped the ribbon from his brother's hand, feeling it between his fingers for a little bit. He smiled. He looked down at Glenn, whose mouth was hanging slightly open with one hand under his pillow. Grinning to himself, Dario carefully tied the ribbon around Glenn's head, making a loose knot in the back, allowing what very little remained of the ribbon (about four or so inches to a side) to hang loosely behind him. Dario almost chuckled- the look fit his baby brother perfectly. He had seen some of the Dragoons tying strips of cloth around their heads as sweatbands before and he recalled Glenn thinking it looked cool.

Satisfied with his work, Dario stood up to look out the window. Today was the start of a new day for both him and Glenn. He was going to try his little brother out with a wooden practice sword to try and cheer him up. Glenn had always liked watching him and his father in tournaments and battle drills- he'd be thrilled to know that he was going to have a chance to learn it himself, now.

He heard stirring from Glenn's bed and saw his younger brother waking up, feeling his head. Dario laughed. "You seemed pretty attached to Mom's hair ribbons so I tied them into your hair," he said. Glenn stared at him in shock, but Dario just smiled. "Don't panic yet- it actually looks pretty good on you. Take a look in Dad's old mirror."

Glenn did so, inspecting it carefully. He pulled his hair from out of the ribbon in a few places, allowing most of his dirty blonde locks to fall around the ribbon. "I look kinda like a soldier," he said. He giggled. "I didn't think Mommy's hair ribbons could look good on a boy!"

"Well now you know, Glenn," said Dario. "Now follow me outside."

"Why? Can't we eat breakfast first?"

Dario heard his stomach rumbles. Little brother had a point. A very good point. "Hmm, food does sound good. But I'm telling you Glenn, we will be going outside later today and you're going to like it!" said Dario, raising one arm excitedly in the air. "You'll see, Glenn. It'll cheer you right up. Now let's get some grub before all of Termina hears our stomachs growling."

"Yeah!" said Glenn. "Breakfast! Goody!"

". . . but you will put that pendant away before it gets dirty."

"Yes, Dario."

"Good boy," said Dario, putting his brother in a light headlock. He smiled. "See?"

"See what?"

"Everything is going to turn out all right. . ."


	12. Epilogue

Memories

By Dixxy

Epilogue

". . . the Dragoons returned to Termina a few months later with awful news," said Glenn. His charges on the island gathered closer, all of them still mesmerized by his story. None of them had piped up once (though Leah had coughed once and Starky made a noise that the others passed off as an alien burp, sneeze, or cough) and the Dragoon was very pleased that he had managed the impossible.

Glenn closed his eyes. "It was not good. Dario was helping me with some sword training while Riddel and Karsh watched- I think Karsh was teasing Dario about me getting better than he was- when a loud horn in Termina blew- the horn was only blown when the Dragoons returned to El Nido. Radius took us all, including Zippa, to the docks to see our parents, but we did not see a victorious welcome. For one, the casualty list was far too long for a victory and women were crying hysterically all over the place. Radius got the lot of us on the General's warship." Glenn swallowed hard, holding a fist to his chest as his eyes lowered. "The General led me and Dario off to the side while Zappa took care of his family and Riddel." Glenn paused for a long time, seeming to hold back a very hard memory.

"What happened?" asked NeoFio, the only one who'd spoken for the duration of their story time.

"Well, a few hours after we left, Porre attacked. During the first scuffle my father vanished, the Einlanzer being found on the ground once the first battle was over." Glenn turned his head to side, wincing in pain as small rivulets began to stream down his face. "Porre captured him. They. . . they executed him." The Dragoon sniffled, using the large neck of his tunic to wipe away his eyes. "That. . . that was hard. I had just lost my mother to the cold hands of death, I had received a scar in a most noticeable place, and now my father was gone as well? I was only five- it was too much for me. I do not even remember what happened for the next MONTH after I found out about my father's death. Karsh once told me it was as if I had gone into a trance- I barely ate, rarely slept, and did not respond to anyone outside of Dario. It was like I had shut down."

"Exactly what happened during the battle?" asked Turnip.

"When it began to take a turn for the worse, King Chrono ordered the General and the Acacia Dragoons to pull out of Guardia. He had said that their country was doomed to fall but that it was not too late to try and save El Nido. A messenger arrived a few days later to announce the disappearance of the two monarchs, the capture of Truce, Guardia's capitol, and the destruction of Guardia Castle," Glenn said solemnly. "They had brought in a huge massive machine called a 'tank'. The same weapon I had heard about while I was hiding in the Porre pantry. I was too traumatized over my scar to tell anyone, but somehow I doubt it would have made much of a difference."

"What did Norris thay about it?" asked Poshul.

"I do not know. The first I saw of him after that incident was after I found myself involved with Serge and the parallel dimension crisis we have found ourselves entangled in. It is really something you would have to ask him- while his people had claimed a great victory, Norris had made friends with one of the only forces that Porre would have trouble with. I would guess he had some very, very mixed emotions. Also, he is not like the other Porre soldiers- he is much more compassionate and idealistic." Glenn smiled. "Even to this day it amazes me. After Porre became an issue, I had been brought up to believe that they were all greedy tyrants who wanted to hurt other people for no real reason. Curtis was the embodiment of what I thought they were. Norris was the exception."

"So that's why you think Norrrris is differrrent," said Draggy. "He saved yourrr life!"

"In a way, I suppose he did." The young Acacia Dragoon grinned. "He was the one who recognized me, you know. After Serge was trapped in the dimension vortex for a while and I went back to Viper Manor to check on Riddel, Porre occupied us. I put up a fight and one of the privates was going to shoot me when a certain commander told him not to and sent me to the dungeon instead. It was a little later that I figured out it was Norris, keeping his promise to me that we had made all those years ago with my brother and Karsh. THAT was stunning, to say the least."

"What happened to Cuwtis?" asked Pip.

"Shortly after Karsh and Dario enlisted into the Dragoons, Porre tried rather unsuccessfully to invade. I was about nine or ten at the time because Dario was sixteen and had just succeeded the Einlanzer from our father's grave, which had incited the General into giving him a high rank right from his enlisting. Well, he recognized Curtis after all those years and ran him through with the Einlanzer in anger. Karsh said that he introduced himself as 'Glenn's older brother' and that he was not only killing him for El Nido, but for what he did to me," said Glenn. "I was stunned when I was told that."

"Bad man die?" asked Leah.

"Yes- he died," said Glenn.

The little ones nodded. Leah raised her hand. "Tell Leah new story!" The other little ones agreed and began to chant "story" over and over again, banging their fists on their knees (well. . . for those who had knees, anyways. . .) and getting slightly louder with each chant. Glenn found himself at a loss for words. _Wow. They REALLY like me. . . is that a good thing or a bad thing?_ Glenn wondered to himself.

"Okay, fine, just sit down and give me a chance to think of something-"

"What about thomething romantic?" Poshul asked. "Are you in ROVE?"

Glenn's jaw dropped. "Uh. . . what?"

"WUV STOWY!" Pip cried out excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"What is a love storrry?" asked Draggy.

"Thou hast saved many a damsel, correct?" Turnip asked, winking at Glenn.

The now slightly embarrassed (and not to mention VERY red) Dragoon blushed. "I. . . I do not have any romance stories, sorry," he said. All creatures looked up at him in curiosity. "I have never found a girl who really cares me outside of who my father and brother were or the fact I am a Dragoon. Any woman who has made a pass at me was a shallow low-life looking to use me to elevate herself higher up in the social classes." He sighed heavily. "I just want to find that special someone who I can share my life with and be happy with. To never find myself alone again until we part in the bitter kiss of death."

Glenn's charges all gave him a sympathetic "aww. . . poor Glenn" and proceeded to walk (and crawl) over to him to give him a hug, arms spread wide open as they piled on top of him, smoothing their baby-sitter. The Dragoon laughed as they all gave their sympathy, as much as he really didn't think he needed it. _Well, I supposed a "hugging pile-up" is better than a "killing each other pile-up"._

"Hey! Hey! Stop that! Cut it out- POSHUL THAT TICKLES!"

* * *

Later that evening. . .

* * *

An official Porre military boat beached onto the sand of Hermit's Hideaway. The sole occupant of the boat stepped out and turned the engine off before dropping the keys into her skirt pocket. _Don't want the boat to leave the island without someone on it- then we'd all be stuck here until someone comes to find us!_ With a sigh, Leena walked from to the beach to the main part of the island. _Glenn will be happy to see me here- I bet he's dying to get off of this island by now!_

She made her way into a short patch of trees that separated the small island from the main yard humming to herself as she strolled along. Leena would be spending the next two weeks with the little ones on her request- she didn't mind it at all. Besides, she could at least get Poshul to behave if all else failed. Serge knew very well she was an excellent baby-sitter and would make sure that the charges on the island wouldn't get into any trouble.

She walked on, feeling as her skirt caught of loose twigs every so often. Leena sighed. She had been there before, but the trees had never caught her skirt so often. _Either it's darker than I originally thought, or there's been an overabundance of overgrowth in this world on this island. This is the world where the Water Dragon still lives, isn't it?_

Once Leena emerged from the woods, she saw that the island's occupants were crowding around Starky, all seeming to cheer him. "Hello!" she said. The little ones froze, then turned as one unit to face Leena. She looked them over, then looked around. "Where's Glenn? I came over here to take over baby-sitting you guys. His turn is over and he can go back to the main island now."

"In the tree house!" NeoFio said quickly. "Sleeping!"

"Thleeping!" Poshul agreed.

Leena scratched her head in confusion- they were all acting somewhat strange now. "All right," she said, waving brightly at the collection of little ones. She then turned to the ladder and began to ascend into the tree house as she reflected on her charges. _I can't figure out how the were able to take Grobyc's arm off- they're all sweethearts. Maybe Leah was rough-housing with him or something._

The village girl opened the door and looked in. Glenn was passed out on the bench, sleeping rather quietly. Leena smiled and sat next to his head. _You wouldn't think he was the warrior he was when he's asleep like this. He looks so peaceful. _"Glenn, wake up," Leena whispered softly. The Dragoon didn't move. "Glenn. . . wake up. . ." Still no answer (though this time Glenn rolled over, mumbling something about Karsh and a plastic spider). "Glenn, please wake up."

"Mmm. . ." he mumbled, swatting a hand at her. "Sleep. . ."

Leena put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so you think you're so smart, hmm?" The village girl looked over her friend, wondering how she would go about waking him up. Then, as if a light bulb had just gone off over her head, Leena got an idea. She knelt down and began to dig through her supplies. Finally, she pulled out what she wanted.

"AQUABALL!"

KER-PLOOSH!

Glenn was now awake and very wet, spitting water and swearing like a drunkard, frantically looking around for the one who had ended his sleep too early. His eyes settled on Leena, who smiled sweetly at him. "Sorry Glenn, but it was that or I left you here for another week. Now do you want to change shifts or not?"

The Dragoon sat up, then, making sure Leena was in close proximity, shook his head, spraying water everywhere. Including on his friend. Leena screeched as Glenn laughed. The girl shot her comrade a look, but only received a smug grin in response as the Dragoon ran his fingers through his hair. "I apologize, Leena. I do not like being awakened so abruptly. You must understand."

"You and Serge are the worst sleepers I have ever met."

Glenn looked out of the window. "It is in the middle of the night. I should be asleep."

Leena laughed. "Yeah, I guess I should be apologizing. Friends?"

"Of course. I assume you are here to switch the baby-sitting shift?" asked Glenn.

"Yes," said Leena. "I have the key to the boat in my pocket- huh?"

"Hmm?" asked Glenn.

"The boat key was here just a minute ago," she said, her eyes widening in slight worry. She stood up and began to pad at her pockets. Leena then smiled and laughed lightly. "I'm sorry, Glenn, I must have dropped it outside. Let's go out and try and find it so you can get going back home to the mainland. Before day break."

"Are you sure?" Glenn asked, taking the belt that held the Einlanzers and buckling it around his waist. "It is in the middle of the night. Would it be wise if we wait until morning? Then maybe we can get the help from the charges here. I am sure Poshul could sniff it out quite easily, and you know that Leah is attracted to shiny objects."

"Yeah, Serge gave her a Shiny Leaf and she wouldn't stop playing with it for a week," said Leena. She shook her head. "No, Glenn. You should get home- you've been here a few days and I'm sure you must be just about dying to get back to the other world. Those kids in your house adore you and last time I swung by there to check on them they were asking for you."

The Dragoon smiled. "All right."

"All we have to do is follow the trail I took in. Maybe it'll catch the light from one of the two moons up there and glint or something," said Leena. "See? This won't be so hard, and with the two of us looking we'll get it found soon enough." She looked outside. "Hmm. The little ones must have gone to bed already. They were outside last time I checked on them."

Glenn nodded, giving his head one final shake (this time making sure his friend was far enough away to avoid the spray) before following Leena out of the tree house. He'd much rather head back to the other world and sleep in a non-occupied house (he was still fuming from that Porre guard accusing him of having a "hot temper") rather than Hermit's Hideaway anyways.

As they began to descend the ladder, they heard the sound of a boat motor being started. Glenn paused, stopping to listen to the sound. "Leena? Did you bring one of the Porre motor boats with you when you came here?" he asked. Leena looked up at him, nodding. "I think I heard it start up."

Both paused for a second before darting down the latter and running to the shore. By the time they reached the shore, they saw the blue boat was now occupied by all of the baby-sitting charges. The group looked out at Glenn and Leena from their boat, waved happily, and sped off towards Marburle.

"I think we have been duped," said Glenn. Leena nodded in agreement. Glenn flashed a quick smile before stepping up to the surf. He cleared his throat, then cupped his hands over his mouth. "GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE TRAITORS! YOU CAN'T LEAVE US HERE ON THIS ISLAND! IF SERGE DOESN'T KILL YOU I WILL! AND THAT'S A PROMISE!"

Leena ran up to the Dragoon and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Glenn! GLENN! Calm down!" she said. The Dragoon private stopped yelling and turned to the village girl. "Don't panic. Someone is bound to see the group of them and realize that we're still here on the island- we aren't stuck here forever, so just calm down, all right?"

Glenn nodded. "Fine. But they will not getting away with this. . ."


End file.
